The National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum has unveiled two limited-edition bobbleheads of Jason “J-Mac” McElwain, who attracted international media attention for his performance in a Senior Night basketball game for Greece Athena High School in 2006. The bobbleheads are being released in conjunction with the anniversary of the game, which was played on February 15. The special edition bobbleheads are being produced by the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum and developed in partnership with Jason McElwain.
Standing on a circular basketball court base bearing his name, the first Jason McElwain bobblehead is in a shooting pose. He is wearing a white basketball uniform with “J-Mac” across the front along with a white headband and black shoes. The second bobblehead, which is also on a circular basketball court base bearing his name, has a smiling “J-Mac” being carried on the shoulders of two smiling Athena fans while giving the No. 1 signal.
The bobbleheads, which will be individually numbered to 2,006, are available exclusively through the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum’s Online Store (https://store.bobbleheadhall.com/products/jmac). The bobbleheads are $30 for the bobblehead featuring McElwain shooting and $40 for the celebration bobblehead or $65 for the set of two. There is a flat-rate shipping charge of $8 per order, and the bobbleheads are expected to ship in July.
Diagnosed with autism at two years old, McElwain was the student manager for the basketball team at Greece Athena High School. On February 15, 2006, coach Jim Johnson gave McElwain the opportunity to suit up for the Senior Night game against Spencerport. With the Trojans holding a comfortable lead, McElwain, wearing No. 52, entered the game with 4 minutes, 19 seconds remaining.
After missing his first two shots, McElwain got “hot as a pistol.” He made six three-pointers and seven total baskets for a game-high 20 points much to the delight of the large crowd. After burying his final shot – a deep three-pointer from the right wing – right before the final buzzer sounded, the Athena student section stormed the court to celebrate their unlikely hero.
“J-Mac” ended up receiving an ESPY Award in the “Best Sports Moment” category, beating out Kobe Bryant’s 81-point game. He met President George W. Bush, numerous sports celebrities, and appeared on various talk shows, including The Oprah Winfrey Show, Larry King Live, Good Morning America and Today. McElwain co-wrote a book with Daniel Paisner titled The Game of My Life.
Currently, the 36-year-old McElwain travels across the country to help raise funds for autism research and make media appearances as a public speaker. He is also an accomplished marathon runner. On September 23, 2012, he completed the MVP Health Care Rochester Marathon in 15th place in 3 hours, 1 minute, 41 seconds, a time that qualified him for the Boston Marathon. In 2014, he completed the Boston Marathon in 2:57:05.
“We’re excited to unveil these bobbleheads of Jason McElwain celebrating his incredible and inspirational performance,” National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum co-founder and CEO Phil Sklar said. “What ‘J-Mac’ was able to accomplish inspired countless people not only in his community, but around the world and Jason has been doing an excellent job motivating people ever since. We hope these bobbleheads inspire people to follow their dreams.”
When asked about being honored with the new bobbleheads, Jason said, “First of all, I want to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for this blessing to have a bobblehead of me all the glory to God. It takes talent to get to the top, but you need work ethic and character and attitude to stay there. John 14:1 ‘Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God also believe in me.’ If you don’t dream it, you can’t become it. It’s so surreal to have a bobblehead done on myself. I would like to thank God for using me for the last 19 years and four years of being saved by the Lord Jesus Christ.”
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