FREEPORT, Ill. (WTVO/WQRF) — Sometimes football becomes so minimal, and life is most important.
The Freeport family is thankful for the life of Logan Schwartz. What happened to him this summer is proof that some things are just bigger than sports.
“No parent wants that phone call,” said Logan’s mom Missy Schwartz.
July 21, 2023 will be a day the Schwartz family never forgets. It was the day their lives changed forever.
“He actually crashed in my coworker’s front yard, and she called me and she’s like, I just have to tell you, Logan was in an accident,” said Missy.
Freeport’s starting left tackle was severely injured in a head-on car crash late that July night after taking his girlfriend home.
“I don’t remember anything after that besides hearing a helicopter and then trying to, like, push myself away from my steering wheel because it collapsed on into me,” said Logan.
Paramedics were still pulling Logan from the car as the family arrived on scene.
“It’s the worst thing for a parent to know, your child’s trapped in a vehicle, and you can’t get to him, nobody would let me through there,” said Missy crying.
Logan was air-lifted to UW-Madison. He miraculously survived the accident without any significant head or spine injuries. Even as he lay in the trauma unit with a broken wrist, femur, and pelvis, there was only one thing on his mind.
“I remember waking up, and the first thing that I wanted to do was call my head coach and apologize to him for not being able to play the rest of the season,” said Logan.
It was the first thing he did when he came to. He called head coach Anthony Dedmond at 3 a.m. to give him the news.
“I told him you know, we just need to get you back healthy, don’t worry about that part of it,” said Dedmond. “Your teammates are going to miss you, I love you, and we’ll get healthy, and we’ll get back to it, but his only thing was football.”
Logan was initially supposed to be released from the hospital on October 30, but he had a different timeline in mind. Just 20 days after this horrible accident, Logan was on his way home.
“He’s very, very driven and determined to be out here with his family and he doesn’t care about anything else,” said Missy laughing.
He even gave up tickets to watch the Packers play in their preseason finale.
“I turned them down just for the slightest even chance that I would be able to come see my boys play because these boys are more important than my favorite football team,” said Logan.
And that’s where he was week one, on the sidelines with his Freeport family, right where he was supposed to be all along.
“I’m glad to still be out here and be able to support my boys, just be a part of this family.”
When Logan was released from the hospital on August 10, he begged his mom to take him to football practice the next day, so that’s where he went.
“He’s been here, he’s been with us, he’s been involved,” said Dedmond. “You would think he’s still playing. He wants to suit up and he wants to put the jersey on, so that’s just the spirit he has.”
Freeport football is family, that’s what you’ll see on the back of the Pretzel’s jerseys this year along with the number 55 on their helmets in honor of Logan.
“We’re not anybody special,” said Missy. “We’re just your normal, average Freeport family and everybody has stepped up to be like, no, you’re not suffering in our community and it’s amazing, absolutely amazing.”
The Schwartz family has set up a GoFundMe page to help pay for incoming medical bills. The community is also hosting a benefit to raise money for the family. That’s on October 14 at Generations Brewery from 3-6 p.m., there will be food and a silent auction.
“Just seeing the whole city come together just for me, you know, just for anybody, seeing the whole city come together for something, it’s just it feels great,” said Logan. “Even if I’m never able to play again, I’m going to be on the sideline cheering my boys on regardless.”
And in the meantime, everyone else will be cheering for Logan because this community is #LogoStrong.
