AMHERST — Just a split second after UMass receiver Dan Jonah made a leaping catch near midfield, Old Dominion defensive back Brandon Addison drove his helmet into Jonah’s back, just above the belt.
For a moment, as Jonah fell toward the turf, the senior from West Springfield was actually horizontal. But Jonah landed on Addison’s shoulder first and his knee never made contact with the ground beneath him.
The stunned crowd looked on as Jonah popped back up and sprinted down the field.
The play was a highlight in the midst of a tough season for the UMass football team, and a high point in the middle of a rough year for Jonah, whose personal struggles have been far more significant than wins and losses.
In many ways the play was reflective of his life in 2016, unwilling to be knocked down during a hard to imagine confluence of tragedy.
In 2016, Dan Jonah lost his brother, his grandfather and a close uncle, but he’s kept moving forward.
“I honestly don’t know how I’m doing it,” he said, subconsciously pushing back the long hair he’s grown in tribute to his brother Jack. “You kind of just go through the motions.”
Jonah arrived at UMass in 2012 to play baseball after a standout career at West Springfield High School. By his sophomore year though, he was burned out on the game. He wasn’t hitting and wasn’t having fun. He’d wait in the outfield between pitches, thinking of things he’d rather be doing.
“I lost interest in the game. I played AAU starting from age 13 and played 40-50 games each summer. Weekends, doubleheaders. I just got tired of it,” Jonah said. “I played it too much. I wanted to do other things than just baseball.”
He’d make a mental bucket list of things: skydiving, wingsuiting (parachuteless skydiving) scuba diving, an African safari. Against his daydreaming, waiting for a fly ball to come his way in the outfield held little appeal.
Baseball was always an odd fit for the danger-seeking daredevil. Growing up, he and his best friend Josh were always chasing adrenaline. They’d go tubing, or jump off things like speedboats and high dives. They’d get injured. They’d heal and then look for the next thing to try.
“He was always the kid that did the wild things,” said Kirk Jonah, his father.
“I love adrenaline,” Dan Jonah said. “When I was younger, my best friend and I would do anything remotely dangerous. Our parents would get so mad.”
He was contemplating a transfer to American International College to play baseball and football, when former UMass assistant football coach Marcel Shipp was routinely canvassing area high school coaches for potential walk-ons. West Springfield coach Chad Labonte suggested a player that was already on campus.
Jonah started playing football as a sophomore in high school, but injuries limited his playing time as a sophomore and a junior. He was not recruited his senior year so the call from Shipp after his sophomore year at UMass was unexpected.
He immediately felt more in his element. Football required constant focus, even in practice.
“In football, each play I’m in the moment. Every second matters,” he said. “You have to be focused.”
Jonah redshirted in 2014 and saw increasing playing time in 2015. He played sporadically at receiver and his reckless nature made him a special teams natural. His overall toughness made an impression. Going across the middle to catch a pass isn’t scary to someone who has ruptured their ear drum attempting a never-before-rehearsed triple front flip off a diving board.
“I don’t fear getting hurt,” he said. “I’ve been getting banged up my whole life.”
Dan Jonah knew his younger brother Jack had struggled socially before, but it seemed like he was in a good frame of mind last spring. The 19-year-old’s death from a heroin overdose in April caught his family off guard.
“Obviously he had some troubles. We didn’t know. It was the happiest six months we had ever seen him,” Dan Jonah said. “He had decided he wanted to become a veterinarian or a nurse. It seemed like everything was clicking. I wish I saw it coming with him. It was the happiest I’ve ever seen him. It completely fooled me.”
Jonah thought sports had given him the sense of belonging his brother was seeking.
“He was the smartest person I ever met. He was an amazing artist. He didn’t understand how to connect with a lot of people because of how smart he is. That really bothered him,” Jonah said. “I think that’s why he sought other substances. Football and sports are my substances in a way.”
In some ways, Jonah said he hasn’t yet fully grieved or coped, but he’s gone out of his way to keep his brother with him. Music was important to Jack, a talented guitar and piano player. Dan will often listen to the Growlers and the Grateful Dead, to momentarily hear what his brother heard and hopefully feel what he felt in the songs.
“I downloaded a lot of that. I wasn’t really into it, but he got me into it before he passed. It’s good music. I enjoy it,” Jonah said. “I feel like I can see and think the way he did, see the world the way he did.”
When they were younger, the Jonah boys, despite being two years apart, were occasionally mistaken for twins.
“I grew out my hair for him. He rocked the long hair. In the spring he told me, ‘You should try growing your hair out, then we’d really look like twins,’” Dan Jonah said. “When everything happened I decided to definitely grow it out.”
He’s also grown closer to his younger sister Karlye, who was close to Jack.
“They were best friends. They hung with the same people,” Jonah said. “I’m looking out for her.”
His football family helped him cope as coaches and players came to the wake to support him.
“I was so blown away. Twenty-plus guys and the coaches showed up. They all came to the wake. I was expecting a few of my close friends. But they surprised me. It was amazing,” Jonah said. “It showed me we were a team and we care about each other. It grew our relationship that much more which makes you want to play harder for everybody. It just shows they have respect for everyone in the locker room.”
His teammates were there for him when his grandfather Walter Barrett died over the summer, and again when his uncle Kim Jonah, who’d traveled to games to see Dan play, died in September.
Dan Jonah’s ability to keep going despite the tragedy amazed even his father.
“Can you imagine being 22, going through all he’s been through and still playing ball? It’s amazing,” Kirk Jonah said.
Dan Jonah said he’s largely numb now.
“Being around everybody and staying busy all the time really helped me. It’s almost a distraction,” he said. “I’m not sure it’s the best thing for me, but I know it’s helped me cope with it. Once I go home, once I graduate I think it will hit me more. I’ll be around my family more and in that atmosphere. I honestly feel like I’ve almost avoided it.”
With football ending, adulthood beckons soon. Jonah, who will graduate in the spring, has a job lined up with a medical marijuana company. His football career ends Saturday when the Minutemen close out their season at Hawaii (11 p.m. Eastern).
He relished the opportunity to take the field with his teammates one more time.
“I have a different perspective on life and the team. I just see how short everything can be and how things can change,” he said. “I have an amazing team, amazing family and amazing roommates who have helped me get through everything. Playing in Hawaii is going to be a great way to end this chapter and move into a new chapter of my life.”
Matt Vautour can be reached at mvautour@gazettenet.com. Get UMass coverage delivered in your Facebook news feed at www.facebook.com/GazetteUMassCoverage