“I think he’d be ecstatic,” Abbate said. “When you’re on a team, and something like this happens, it’s not only you,” Abbate said. Abbate grew up in Marietta, Georgia, where he attended Carl Harrison High School. Rachelle Diamond 385. The young woman smiles sympathetically, and walks to Steven. That’s pretty encouraging, and it makes you want to do it, too.”. A receiver and linebacker at Harrison High School in Kennesaw, Ga., the younger Abbate wore jersey No. He had a late interception in the endzone against rival University of North Carolina. “To see his family before every game, things like that, they talk about Luke and they talk about playing for him and he’ll be watching,” Skinner said. Adam (Jon's older brother) leaves the living room, and returns with a young woman holding the hand of a toddler. He’s a huge inspiration and he’s a huge leader on our team. The true story of Jon Abbate who, driven by the tragic and fatal car crash that took the life of his 15 year-old brother Luke, wears Luke's number five jersey, and helps lead the Wake Forest Demon Deacons to the most successful season in history. Upon his return to Wake Forest, Jon was given the approval of head coach Jim Grobe to change his number from his long-standing 40, to his brother’s number 5. Violence. [1] In 2005, Abbate only had 76 tackles because of injury problems.[2]. Abbate was placed on season-ending injured reserve on September 1, 2007, with an ankle injury. He played college football at Wake Forest University in 2004–2006 and was signed as a free agent by the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL) in 2007. He had 15 tackles in that game, the first Bowl Championship Series bowl game participation for Wake Forest. “To have something like that happen to his family and in his life, his family used that as motivation and not let that bring him down. The film screenplay to the highly inspirational sports story - The Jon and Luke Abbate Story - has been written by Rick Bieber, who will direct the independent feature in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He was all county and all state every year except for his freshman year. He also had 25 tackles for a loss and 10 sacks that season. Abbate was picked up by the Redskins in the 2010 offseason but was then released due to failing his physical. [6] However, he was re-signed shortly after on March 1. The 5th Quarter is a true story about the Abbate family and how they lost their son Luke to a fatal car accident. Instead, it has been a living hell. Jon Abbate helps lead Wake Forest to its most-successful season in school history, in memory of his younger brother, Luke. Jon Abbate draws his strength and inspiration from the number 5. And no doubt, they insist, Luke would have been waiting outside the locker room at Alltel Stadium after the A.C.C. It’s just taught me to not only be there for people in football, but for other reasons.”. “It’s been a roller-coaster ride ever since it happened,” Abbate said. Older brother Jon Abbate, a linebacker for Wake Forest University, uses the pain of the loss of his younger brother as motivation to overcome his own grief and to "play for two," leading Wake Forest to the best record they've ever had. The Deacons won that game 9-6. [3] A movie about Jon Abbate, his brother Luke, and Wake Forest's 2006 football season, entitled The 5th Quarter, was released on March 25, 2011.[4]. Motivated by Jon Abbate’s insistence he was “playing for two,” the normally lackluster Wake Forest team turned in its best season in school history. He was all county and all state every year except for his freshman year. [7], 2006 Wake Forest Demon Deacons football team, http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/wake/sports/m-footbl/archive-pdf/cumulative-stats03.pdf, http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/wake/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/05stats.pdf, ::Five Foundation:: Luke Abbate Foundation | Jon Abbate, Six Deacons Agree To Free Agent Contracts :: Abbate, Andrews, Ghee, Idlette, Morton, Tucker headed to the NFL, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jon_Abbate&oldid=994541298, Sportspeople from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Players of American football from Florida, Wake Forest Demon Deacons football players, NFL player missing current team parameter, Articles with unsourced statements from March 2011, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 16 December 2020, at 06:51. The pain of losing the brother who idolized him has fueled Abbate and the 16th-ranked Demon Deacons during the best season in school history — including yesterday’s 9-6 victory over No. Driven by the tragic car crash that took the life of his brother Luke, Jon Abbate (Ryan Merriman) helps lead Wake Forest to the most successful season in school … “The way it’s changed me is to not only to lead as a football player, and not only as a teammate on the football field, but as a teammate off the field,” said Abbate, a junior and three-year starter who leads the team in tackles. His senior season, he was the state of Georgia's leading tackler with 207 total, averaging more than 15 tackles a game. Anick Gervais 191. But I'd be in the same situation with my height as a knock." Abbate grew up in Marietta, Georgia, where he attended Carl Harrison High School. Jon Pardy Sabrina Abbate Neda Kalantar Heather Decksheimer Adel Elseri Allison White Ika Wong 182. Jon Abbate helps lead Wake Forest to its most-successful season in school history, in memory of his younger brother, Luke. In the wake of a car crash that killed his 15-year-old brother, Luke, football player Jon Abbate returns to Wake Forest University with renewed purpose and leads his struggling team to its most successful season ever. After a car accident, teenagers are shown injured and bleeding. Abbate was not drafted due to tearing his hamstring at the NFL combine but following the draft he signed a three-year contract with the Houston Texans as a free agent. However, during Week 5, Sabrina's game began to fall apart. Most players attended Luke’s funeral, creating a bond that supersedes football. Jon Abbate draws his strength and inspiration from the number 5. Driven by the tragic and fatal car crash that took the life of his fifteen year old brother Luke, and wearing Luke’s number 5 jersey, Jon Abbate helps to lead the Wake Forest Demon Deacons to the most successful season in school history. "Unless someone could promise me if I went back that I'd grow three inches, the decision was pretty easy," Abbate said. Then, on Feb. 13, everything changed. Abbate then played in the Orange Bowl against the University of Louisville. 23 Georgia Tech in the Atlantic Coast Conference title game. Andrew Gordon Big Brother Canada 3. Big Brother Canada 2. championship game against Georgia Tech, hoping to add more gloves to his collection. Family-Placed Death Notice Luke Andrew Abbate age 15, of Powder Springs died Wednesday, February 15, 2006. [citation needed] He was waived again on July 22, 2009. He died the next day. Driven by the tragic and fatal car crash that took the life of his fifteen year old brother Luke, and wearing Luke's number 5 jersey, Jon Abbate helps to lead the Wake Forest Demon Deacons to the … It’s about how they moved on and how Luke’s brother Jon honored the member of Luke in how he played for Wake Forest’s college football team. At the conclusion of the 2006 season, Abbate decided to enter the 2007 NFL Draft. Through that and also through the kind of player he is, he’ll give it his all.”. Grobe agreed, and Abbate wore the number throughout his junior season. He was waived after a failed physical on August 29, 2008. The movie depicts the family’s struggles with grief, but also how the team’s successes on the football field gave them something to rally behind. Defensive player Jon Abbate (’10) lost his younger brother Luke in an auto accident at home in Marietta, Ga., before the season began. Abbate was named an All-American (honorable mention, Sports Illustrated) and first team All-ACC (ACSMA, College Football News) in recognition of his performance throughout his final season during which he averaged 8.6 tackles per game. Before his junior season, Abbate asked head coach Jim Grobe whether he could switch his jersey number from 40 to 5, the number his brother had worn. [citation needed] "I could have gone back and been productive again, had another 100-plus tackles. Jon Abbate is a former American football linebacker. He dedicated the season to his brother, switched his jersey number to honor his memory, channeled that grief into his play and galvanized the teammates who loved his brother almost as much as he still does. They say he would have cherished each of their school-record 11 victories, especially the 24-17 victory over North Carolina that Abbate preserved with an interception in the end zone in the waning seconds. “It’s also your teammates who deal with it almost as much, just because you are a family.”. “I knew Jon was going to win,” Abbate … He played college football at Wake Forest University in 2004–2006 and was signed as a free agent by the Houston Texans of … Sarah Miller 260. Following his brother’s death, Jon considered giving up his football career – but knew that doing so would not properly honor the younger brother who loved and idolized him. In February 2006, 15-year-old Luke Abbate accepted a ride home from a classmate and was killed in a car wreck in Georgia. After redshirting his first year in college, Abbate immediately became a starter in 2004. Abbate spent the remainder of the 2010 off season with the Saints after failing his physical with the Redskins. “He’d be so pumped up with the way the season has gone.”, The Death of a Player’s Brother Motivates Wake Forest. Kenny Brain 296. T he Abbate family of Marietta, Georgia lost 15-year-old Luke in a tragic car accident on his way home from school in 2006. Driven by the tragic and fatal car crash that took the life of his fifteen year old brother Luke, and wearing Luke's number 5 jersey, Jon Abbate helps to lead the Wake Forest Demon Deacons to the most successful season in school history. [citation needed], Abbate was re-signed by the Texans again on August 24, 2008 after wide receiver Harry Williams was placed on injured reserve. Additionally, the Abbate family created the "Five Foundation" to raise awareness among young people of the responsibilities and dangers of driving. “To be there for people in certain circumstances like this. As Abbate mourned, he found comfort on the football field, the common ground he and Luke shared. Steven (Jon and Luke's father), remains seated on the sofa, too overwhelmed with emotion to stand. As the season progressed, Abbate's teammates, Wake Forest fans, and even fans of opposing teams began holding up five fingers as well—a tradition that attracted much media attention during the Deacons' successful year. It should have been the best year of Jon Abbate's life. Jon Abbate helps lead Wake Forest to its most-successful season in school history, in memory of his younger brother, Luke. Arlie Shaban 190. Luke was riding home from lacrosse practice with four teammates when their car crashed. And before the fourth quarter of every game, Abbate and the Demon Deacons raised five fingers skyward. Big Brother Canada 2. Paul Jackson 356. And the Demon Deacons are convinced that nobody would have enjoyed their remarkable run more than Luke Abbate. In the ACC Championship in Jacksonville, Florida, Abbate had 15 tackles against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. During the 2006 season, Abbate led the team in tackles with 120 (second in the ACC). “You think you’re doing good, and then all of a sudden you’ll get a memory or something will remind you of him, and you just break down.”. The Demon Deacons have grown tighter, drawing inspiration from the sight of Abbate’s parents at games. Kyle Shore 270. And after 15-year-old Luke died in a traffic wreck, and his organs were donated to five recipients, his brother Jon — a player on Wake Forest University's football … Luke Abbate was 15 — a sophomore at Harrison High School in west Cobb — when his ride home from lacrosse practice had to cancel and he accepted a … His senior season, he was the state of Georgia's leading tackler with 207 total, averaging more than 15 tackles a game. Jon Abbate turns great personal pain into a sporting tribute to his la… Abbate, Wake Forest’s grieving star linebacker, switched his jersey from 40 to 5 this season. Kenny Brain 296. He was the defensive player of the year in the state of GA for his senior season. [citation needed], Abbate was on the roster of the Sacramento Mountain Lions (formerly known as the California Redwoods) for parts of the 2009 and 2010 seasons. Driven by the tragic and fatal car crash that took the life of his fifteen year old brother Luke, and wearing Luke's number 5 jersey, Jon Abbate helps to lead the Wake Forest Demon Deacons to the most successful season in school history.

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