Jason Stacy: Powered by a Spartan Mindset
11/30/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
By Hanna Sprague, MSU Athletic Communications Student Assistant
From the day senior midfielder Jason Stacy took his first steps, there's been a ball at his feet. Now, as he walked across the DeMartin Soccer Complex for his final time as a student-athlete, the steps came a bit sturdier knowing just how much the game of soccer has shaped him.
"Through the game, you get to experience a lot of different emotions within 90 minutes," said Stacy. "You have to learn to deal with ups, you have to learn to deal with downs. You have to find a balance between."
A love for the game started in the basement of the Stacy household as competition between his sisters and brother broke out on a carpeted surface blocked in by two mini goals.
"My dad was always a big part of it," said Stacy. "He was one of my coaches growing up. We'd practice moves in the basement. Once I was done perfecting those, I'd bring them to the game. Then that was kind of how my love for the game started in the basement."
It was there that his dreams were built, and, as he's moved on with soccer, his competitiveness in the basement quickly transferred to the field.
"It was me vs. my dad and Kailee," said Stacy. "There was this one time we were in the basement and I was down, I think a goal or two, and it was next goal wins. My sister had a breakaway, and she was going to score and I remember slide tackling her from behind. My dad had never laid into me so hard."
The Stacy family prides itself on supporting one another, traveling to countless tournaments throughout every level of the game and backing each other in the good times and bad.
"It's very much a family thing," said Stacy. "You ask anybody about soccer in the Grand Rapids area or Forest Hills Central area, and Stacy is probably going to come up. There are so many of us that have played and gone on to be successful at different levels."
From coaching on the sidelines, to cheering from the stands and traveling across the country to see 90 minutes play out, the pride the family members have in one another is second to none.
"Since I've been in college, my dad hasn't missed one game," said Stacy. "The support from him â€" my mom, it's pretty unconditional. They go wherever I go. And they love to see me, win or lose. It's been a massive part of our lives, soccer. We've gotten to experience so many different things together."
From the days on the makeshift fields behind the Grand Rapids YMCA to the day he committed to play soccer at Michigan State, Stacy was surrounded by a familiar support system.
"I just got really passionate about it, and it was the only thing I wanted to do all of the time," said Stacy. "A lot of my friends to this day are still from my first team. I was with pretty much the same group of guys, growing up the entire time with essentially the same team and the same coaches."
Stacy has had his eyes on the possibilities from a very young age, looking up to his sisters and cousins who had laid the groundwork to inspire him to be the best athlete he could be.
"Watching a lot of professional soccer and watching my cousins play in college when I was a lot younger, they inspired me to want to be better and be as successful as I could with the game," said Stacy. "I worked as hard as I could to get to where I'm at."
As his goals got bigger, the opportunities followed suit. As a two-time First-Team All-State and Mcdonald's All-American selection, Stacy was a highly recruited soccer player coming out of Forest Hills Central High School.
"I wanted to be close to home because of the support that I had," said Stacy. "I didn't really want distance to be an issue for them coming to see me play or me going home to see them. It came down to kind of in-state."
Stacy initially chose to sign with the University of Michigan and spent one year in Ann Arbor before finding a more permanent home in East Lansing.
"My cousin Jake Stacy, who played at Michigan, was very successful there, and he played a really big role in my decision to go there with all of the positives that he had to say and what not," said Stacy. "It was extremely tough to not pick Michigan State the first time."
The midfielder sat out the 2013 season due to NCAA transfer rules, but found his place in the Green and White the following season, leading the 2014 Elite Eight-bound team in both points and assists.
"I think that everything happens for a reason and I was lucky enough to be presented with a second opportunity from Michigan State to come back and play with them," said Stacy. "It turned out to be one of the best decisions that I've made."
The Spartan soccer program speaks for itself in on-field accomplishments, but it's off the field that some of the biggest growth happens. The relationships and bonds between athletes and coaches are unexplainable, and the support system mirrors the level of respect the Stacy family is built on.
"The time that I've spent here has been second to none, and I've built a lot of good friendships, had a lot of good memories with soccer, back-to-back Elite Eights, super memorable wins," said Stacy. "The total experience has been kind of what you dream of to come play for a university."
His dream to play in the MLS remains active as Stacy closes out his senior year and final courses toward his degree in economics.
"If I choose to pursue it, then I'm going to give it everything that I have," said Stacy. "That's been the plan from the beginning, to give it everything I have. If I fail, I fail. I'll always have my education, and I have nothing to look back on and say, ‘What if?'"
Dreams that never die and expectations that create a path for new opportunities have highlighted Stacy's career both in and away from the game of soccer. His Spartan mindset surrounding perseverance makes him an inspiration for each and every one of us, and his impact on the MSU soccer program is undeniable.
"You have a bad day, that's going to happen â€" everyone has bad days," said Stacy. "But you can always bounce back, so it's a matter of how you respond. There's always tomorrow."
