Jacob Bush to be honored with Spirit of Sport Award
Mishawaka senior to be recognized with the national award on Wednesday
A two-sport high school athlete who overcame severe injuries from a motorcycle accident that also took the life of his father, Jacob Bush of Mishawaka High School is the 2023 recipient of the National High School Spirit of Sport Award for Section 4.
Bush will be honored and recognized Wednesday (May 3) on Senior Day when he and his Mishawaka teammates host Northridge in a track and field dual meet.
IHSAA Commissioner Paul Neidig and Sports Information Director Jason Wille will make the presentation.
The National High School Spirit of Sport Award was created in 2008 by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) to recognize those individuals who exemplify the ideals of the spirit of sport that represent the core mission of education-based athletics. The NFHS announced this
year’s recipients from around the country on
In August of 2020, the summer before his sophomore year, Bush was riding on a motorcycle with his father, Jeremy Bush, a South Bend firefighter, when it was hit by another vehicle. His father was killed instantly, and Jacob would spend the next four days in a coma fighting for his own life.
Following months of medical procedures and rehabilitation, Jacob persevered by working his way back to continue as a member of the Cavemen football and track and field teams as well as the school’s Champions Together program through Special Olympics Indiana. He will graduate this month having served as Student Council Secretary, the recipient of Forté Sports Medicine’s High School Comeback Award, and his team’s Service Award as he is always the first to volunteer for community service.
“Football and the chance to be with his team saved this young man,” said Dean Huppert, the athletic director for Mishawaka schools. “Coaches and players called, texted and visited. He didn’t want to let them down. He had the goal to run out onto that field someday, not in a wheelchair, but
with his own strength. His story sends a strong message about the power of high school sports.”
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