Our Lady of the Lakes Catholic School congratulates Class of 2020 Jack Loeffer with the following from Mrs. Gainey:

To say Jack Loeffler’s veins run blue is an understatement.  Jack is the youngest of three brothers, Tom and Charlie, both Laker alumni.  Jack was a fixture at Our Lady of the Lakes athletic fields in his early years.  He was running around the perimeter of the football field as young, elementary aged students do as his brothers competed on a Saturday afternoon. I doubt the big brothers would ever know how much impact they had on Jack, until it was his turn to compete.  

Jack is a good student and I believe school comes quite easily for him.  But Jack becomes most competitive in the arena of organized sports.  Whether playing football or baseball, Jack’s passion lies in the ability to run, jump, roll in the grass, in other words to be on the athletic fields.  Jack loves to play sports and is considered a very formidable opponent.

When I was blessed last year to teach Jack in 11th Theology class, Jack would say, without hesitation, “I don’t play basketball.”  No big deal except Jack IS the tallest boy in the Class of 2020.  Also one should note, that Jack has a group of senior buddies that are like a “band of brothers” and they DO play basketball.  So it was still much to my dismay that Jack went out for the 2019-20 Laker basketball team. 

That’s right.  Jack Loeffler played basketball his senior year and he played well.  He gave to his school one last time.  The transition workouts from football season to basketball, countless hours of dedication, the commitment to practices, the long bus rides to and from games, squeezing homework in whenever possible, studying on the fly, being exhausted day after night, rushing off to OTech after Mass days and needing to check in to see what he had missed in class—this was what Jack’s winter semester looked like.

Selflessly, Jack poured his heart and soul into a sport he “doesn’t play.” He played for his buddies, his coaches, his teammates and his classmates especially those in the senior class. He played as a role model for all the elementary and middle school kids to look up to (both figuratively and literally) and for the parents and the other Laker faithful in the stands. He played for the alumni as a witness to his Laker legacy, for his teachers and the staff, for Father Scott and Father Christopher and anyone else who don OLL apparel.  He played for all of us because he’s a Laker.  That’s what Lakers do.  Thank you, Jack Loeffler.  Thank you Class of 2020 for all the wonderful memories you have given us. 

Q & A with Jack Loeffler

What college will you be attending?
Oakland Community College

What is your major?
Sports Marketing

Describe yourself in one word:
Outdoorsy

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Tennessee

What are three things on your bucket list?
Skydiving, Faster Horses, go to a Super Bowl 

What’s one thing most people don’t know about you?
I used to be short

Who is your favorite saint?
Saint Michael 

What is your personal motto?
Sounds like a tomorrow problem

Loeffler’s first Laker school picture