When Asaph Schwapp — known to many as “Ace” — passed away from non-Hodgkin lymphoma, his friend and Notre Dame football teammate vowed to do something big to honor him. And so the Tough as Ace Hero Fund was born. Learn more about St. Baldrick’s Hero Funds.
Ace’s friends competed in a triathlon to raise money for childhood cancer research in honor of Ace. Their jerseys bear Ace’s football jersey number.
“Needless to say, it didn’t turn out well for me,” Mike recalled.
He laughed, remembering the friend he’d come to know well over the next several years. “He was the first one to knock you out, but he’d pick you right back up with a smile on his face and say, ‘Hey, are you alright?’”
That’s just the kind of guy Ace was.
Ace’s skills on the football field in high school won him a spot on the Notre Dame University football team.
“Looking at him, you would have thought that chemo was just a walk in the park, because he would literally drive himself to the hospital for chemo, then drive himself to the weight room,” said Ace’s older brother Andrew, adding that Ace easily bench pressed 300 pounds and squatted a hefty 500 even in the thick of his treatment.
At 6 feet tall and 250 pounds, Ace was hard to miss wherever he went. But while he was always noticed for his size, he was loved for his heart.“He just had a passion for others,” Mike said. “Any conversation you had with him, 100% of his attention was devoted to you. He just wanted to know what he could do to make your day better.”
Mike remembers attending a St. Baldrick’s event with Ace at Notre Dame University and watching the children gravitate toward his enormous friend, immediately drawn to his smile, laugh, and downright lovable nature. None of that came as a surprise to Andrew, who remembers how, even when he was young, Ace could always hold a conversation with anyone. “Whether you were a child or an adult, if you’d come across Asaph, it was hard not to like him because he was such a genuine and charming individual,” he said.
Ace (left) with older brothers Alvin and Andrew (right).
It was because of Ace’s selflessness that when Mike learned of his passing in May 2013, Mike was moved to do something big. And so the Tough As Ace Hero Fund was born.
Last year, there were four St. Baldrick’s events held in memory of Ace, collectively raising nearly $100,000 for childhood cancer research. Each one was an opportunity for those who loved Ace to give back to a cause Ace would’ve loved to have been a part of.
“It’s helping to keep his memory alive,” Andrew said. “And that means the world to me and my family.”
For Mike, the best part was getting to hear the many great stories about Ace from all the people who came out to honor him. “I think that one of the best quotes came from a buddy of mine who said that Ace had arms the size of legs, legs the size of tree trunks, but a heart that couldn’t even be quantified.”
For all who were lucky enough to have met him, that’s how Asaph Schwapp will be remembered.
Learn more about Ace’s legacy on the Tough as Ace Hero Fund page.
Read more about St. Baldrick’s Hero Funds: