Former Wheaton College football player Jalen Shaffer was trying to save his former teammate, Philip LoChirco, when they both died in a drowning incident in Lake Michigan.
According to the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office, Shaffer and three others jumped into the water on Pigeon Lake, just outside Grand Haven, Michigan, on Saturday, June 13, when LoChirco began to struggle.
While trying to help his friend, Shaffer also went under. Both men were eventually pulled to the shore, but neither survived. Shaffer was 26 and LoChirco was 24.
Shaffer and LoChirco were teammates for three seasons from 2009 to 2012 at Wheaton College, a Division III program located in Wheaton, Illinois.
“He died at 26 years old, but he lived a life that people will talk about for ages,” Shaffer’s brother-in-law, Kyler Dunn, told Fox 17.
Shaffer’s father, Joel, added, “God has been good through all these years, not going to stop trusting him now. I miss him. I want to be with him. I know I will be with him one day, and I have that hope in Jesus.”
LoChirco got married to his wife, Emily, in August 2025, according to their wedding website.
“Congratulations to Mr. Philip LoChirco and his new bride Mrs. Emily LoChirco,” a member of Emily’s family shared via Instagram. “They are the perfect match for one another. We are so blessed that Phil is a part of our family. We all knew that he was the “one” when we met him ❤️🥰❤️.”
In a statement to WOOD TV, Wheaton football coach Jesse Scott said Shaffer and LoChirco were “more than former players in our program.”
“They were brothers, teammates, and friends whose lives left a lasting impact on Wheaton football,” Scott continued. “Both Jalen and Phil were great examples of what it means to be Wheaton football players: men who pursued excellence in what they did on and off the field, but more importantly, men who wanted others to know and love Jesus and who were fiercely committed to their faith.”
At the time of his death, LoChirco was working as an assistant football coach at Wheaton Academy, a private high school in Chicago.
“This is a devastating loss for our football family and our Wheaton Academy community,” athletic director Brad Byrne said in a statement. “Coach LoChirco had a real impact on our students, not just as players, but as young men. There are four things that really stood out about him. First, he loved the Lord, and his hope in Christ was at the center of how he lived. Second, he loved his wife, Emily, and his family deeply. That was clear to everyone who knew him.”
Byrne continued, “Third, he loved football and everything it gave him, the brotherhood, the discipline, and the community he found at Wheaton College. That experience helped shape him and strengthen his faith. And fourth, he felt called to pour into young men. He used football as a way to teach, mentor, and disciple them. To him, it was never just about the game, it was about helping young men grow into who they’re meant to be.”
