This story originally appeared in the football game day program on Sept. 17.


John Troxell stood in the shadow of Lafayette's Bourger Varsity Football House with the Leopards players kneeling in front of him.

The first-year head coach talked about commitment to one another and the refusal to quit.

Troxell was introducing a new tradition at Lafayette when a player scored a touchdown or generated a turnover. There would not be a turnover chain, gaudy belt or group celebration dance. Instead, the player who achieved the desired result would ring a bell.

It was a symbolic choice because Troxell and his staff were encouraging more than football skills since he became the Fred M. Kirby II '42 Head Football Coach in mid-December. They were helping the players develop life skills through the game they all loved. The 1994 Lafayette graduate and the program's 29th head coach wanted something more impactful days before the start of the program's 141st season.

Troxell's choice became evident when he called senior wide receiver Joe Gillette up to be the first to ring the bell. Lafayette had not played a down in the 2022 season, but Gillette earned the honor bestowed upon him by Troxell.
    The Ohio native beat cancer. He was given a clean bill of health in August after being diagnosed last November with Hodgkins Lymphoma.

Throughout his radiation and chemotherapy treatments, Gillette never complained, never missed a spring workout, never missed a school assignment. He was the definition of commitment and determination.

It just felt like the right thing," fellow senior and four-year roommate Jordan Hull said of Gillette ringing the bell. "It was the perfect way to start off the season by having a guy who has been through more than anyone on the team has.
    "Ringing that bell was just motivation. It might be a tough season, but look at Joe. If there's a will, there's a way."

Gillette has contributed to the Lafayette football program in many ways ... as a wide receiver, running back, kick returner, punt returner.

His biggest contribution to date, however, has been how he inspired his teammates and coaches with his desire to beat cancer his way.

Gillette noticed a big lump on his neck about a year ago. Mononucleosis was the original diagnosis, but the lump never went away.
    Another doctor's visit back in his hometown of Strongsville, Ohio, was followed by a biopsy. Another trip to another doctor and another biopsy followed. More biopsies. More scans. More waiting.

"I guess scared is the best way to say it," Gillette said of that process, "because you don't know what you're going to have to go through and the waiting is scary."
 
Gillette never let his friends, teammates, coaches or professors see that side of him. He never let them see how challenging the treatments were. 

He never complained.
The cancer specialist laid out a plan for Gillette around Thanksgiving. The treatments began the following month.

After staying home after Thanksgiving break for the rest of the fall semester, Gillette opted to return to campus. He attended classes and offseason workouts. And, every other Thursday he drove six hours to Cleveland, received his treatment on Friday, drove back to campus Saturday, then spent the rest of the weekend recuperating so he would be ready to return to class on Monday.

He never got angry or frustrated with his life circumstances. He just moved forward.

"I really just don't like complaining," Gillette said. "It will go through your head sometimes. I guess I get it from my family. Complaining just doesn't really do much. Working through things does."
    Gillette showed up for every spring workout, even if his body felt like staying in bed. It was always mind over matter for the soon-to-be 22-year-old.

"I remember one morning workout when he was on the side throwing up," Troxell said. "I asked him if he was OK and he said he was fine. He never really talked about not feeling OK. He just kept battling.

"To go through that and be away from his family and come every day with a smile, he never once said, 'Why me?' He never flinched in the face of adversity. And if he did, no one ever knew it."

The three-year starter at Strongsville High School has been a four-year contributor at Lafayette. He played in the first seven games of his freshman season, starting the last five, before a broken foot ended his season. He had 21 catches for 314 yards and a touchdown in his first year. He also scored a rushing TD, earned Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week honors once and finished his first college semester with a 3.58 GPA.

The son of Brad and Stacy Gillette continued contributing in a variety of ways the next two seasons.

The mathematics and economics major sent a group text in December, telling his teammates that he was diagnosed with cancer and faced six to eight months of treatment.

"He was very optimistic," senior captain and linebacker Marco Olivas said. "It was very scary reading that text. When you hear the word cancer and it's someone you care about, it just scares you."

Gillette forged ahead. He drove his black Buick Encore from Easton to Cleveland and back. He lost his hair during chemo treatments. His appetite was reduced, but his spirit never waned. Coaches and teammates did not notice much of a change in his strength or stamina. 

His mental fortitude was aided by the support he had from his family and the Lafayette community.

"I know my teammates, my friends, my family would have done anything to help me through it," Gillette said, "which is great to have."

Gillette's weight room work amazed his coaches and teammates. His ability to maintain his muscle mass was unexpected.

The 6-foot, 187-pound Gillette brought his cell phone with him to an early August workout. It rang during a drill. Most everyone at Fisher Field knew what the call was about.

"When I walked over to him I saw him smile," Troxell said. "It was a pretty good moment."

Gillette got a clean bill of health from his doctor. Life was normal again.

He opted to not ring the bell, a standard ceremony for cancer patients, when he left the hospital in Cleveland for the last time. He didn't want the special attention.

Gillette was not eager to do the same a few weeks later in front of his teammates, but understood the significance of that ceremony.

"It was pretty cool to have something dedicated to you that you helped bring to the team," he said.

Gillette quickly rang the bell a few times and sat down as fast as he could with the rest of the Leopards. He felt comfort in being part of the team. He is not interested in any limelight.

For those few seconds in front of the Bourger Varsity Football House, Gillette earned the right to have the light shine on him... if only for a few seconds.