Dick Jauron’s legacy extends far beyond his time as a professional athlete playing in the NFL, including on the Detroit Lions and the Cincinnati Bengals, or as a head coach of the Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears, and even being named NFL Coach of the Year in 2001. The Swampscott High standout was also a star college athlete at Yale in both football and baseball, and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2015.
And yet, even with all of his achievements, it was his selfless nature and commitment to others that many, including his daughter, Kacy, continue to speak highly of when remembering who he was before he died last year on Feb. 8 after battling cancer.
“He was always very humble and quiet, but I think also confident in the way he carried himself, confident in the way that he did things,” Kacy said. “That’s kind of just how I’ve always seen him live his life – if you’re on the right side of the decision making and you know that it’s good, you’re gonna have a better outlook on life.”
While Jauron didn’t officially retire from NFL coaching, Kacy said he made the decision to step back in order to care for his wife, Gail, an athlete and scholar who earned a PhD from Harvard. When Gail was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease, Kacy watched Dick step into the role of her caregiver and continued to love and support her for more than a decade until he passed. Gail, who battled Alzheimer’s for nearly 14 years, died last month on Dec. 30.
For Kacy, the memory of both of her parents is also one of generosity. “I’m just having all these awesome thoughts flooding back about my upbringing and how my parents incorporated football into our lives and how they incorporated giving,” she said. “They were so giving of their time and their money, and they very much knew that they were lucky. My dad was successful, and as his career grew, so did their level of giving.”
With their generous spirit and Dick’s quiet nature, she was “surprised” but not shocked when her parents’ estate donated a monumental $2.2 million to Northeast Arc, a nonprofit in Danvers that supports children and adults with disabilities and autism through services including early intervention, advocacy, education, and recreation. It was Kacy who called Northeast Arc CEO Jo Ann Simons to tell her the “good news.”
For Simons, the gift went far beyond even her own expectations, and is now the largest that the organization has ever received in its 72 years. It will be instrumental as part of Northeast Arc’s Fund for our Future and used to create and sustain a position named after Jauron – the Dick Jauron Director for Sports and Recreation.
“What we hope to do is expand the opportunities for sports and recreation,” said Simons. “Hopefully, with the emphasis on activity and fitness, people with disabilities, who have among the lowest health statuses of people in the world, will have access to more activities. We already run a robust recreation, Special Olympics, and sports program, but this allows us to go deeper.”
That includes providing “additional support” to families and those with disabilities across the North Shore, Simons said, including Lynn, where Jauron lived before moving to Swampscott, which he considered his hometown for the rest of his life.
Kacy remains appreciative of Simons and Northeast Arc’s “thoughtful” decision to use the gift in this capacity, while continuing to grow their programming and empower the community, especially families and children. “Sports are so important to so many people in a lot of different ways, but even for my dad, when he was caregiving, people who knew him from town could find him on the Tedesco golf course every single day, walking 18 holes, because he needed that time. As a caregiver, he needed that respite and again, competitiveness and challenge and all the things that come with sports.”
It’s those benefits that she’s excited to see Northeast Arc provide to those across the North Shore, all while honoring the legacy of both of her parents.
“This is who Dick was,” added Simons. “The quiet leader that we all hope we can be more like.”
