Two men who died in a drowning accident in Lake Michigan on Saturday were former college football players.
Jalen Shaffer, an Ada, Mich., native, and Philip LoChirco, of Warrenville, Ill., played football at Division III Wheaton College in Illinois. They were at a gathering of friends Saturday when the drowning occurred in Port Sheldon Township, just south of Grand Haven. The accident happened shortly after 1 p.m.
Shaffer was 26; LoChirco was 24.
The drowning occurred in the Pigeon Lake Channel of Lake Michigan. According to the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office, when LoChirco began having trouble in the water, others jumped in to help. Soon after, Shaffer started struggling in the water, as well.
First responders were able to pull both men from the water and attempt life-saving efforts, but both men died at the scene, the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office said.
Wheaton College football coach Jesse Scott said Shaffer and LoChirco “were more than former players.”
“They were brothers, teammates, and friends whose lives left a lasting impact on Wheaton football,” Scott said in a statement released by the school Tuesday. “Both Jalen and Phil were great examples of what it means to be Wheaton football players: men who pursued excellence in what they did on and off the field, but more importantly, men who wanted others to know and love Jesus and who were fiercely committed to their faith.”
Shaffer was a linebacker who played four seasons in five years at Wheaton College, after graduating from NorthPointe Christian High School in Grand Rapids. He earned all-region and all-conference recognition as a senior at Wheaton, graduating in 2022.
LoChirco was a defensive lineman who played three seasons over four years at Wheaton, graduating in 2023.
Shaffer’s father, Joel, posted on Facebook that Joel was on staff at Bridge Street Ministries in Grand Rapids.
“(He) made an eternal impact on the lives of his students and everyone he became friends with,” Joel Shaffer posted. “He was truly one of the most godly men I’ve known in my life. … (I) was so proud of him, especially when I saw him pour his life into the next generation of disadvantaged yet high-potential youth in our city. Pray for us, but also pray for his students at Bridge St. Ministries.”
A GoFundMe has been set up for Shaffer’s funeral expenses. As of Tuesday afternoon, it had raised nearly $40,000.
The Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project, which tracks drownings in the Great Lakes, reported as of June 5, there had been 18 drownings in the Great Lakes in 2026, including eight in Lake Michigan.
tpaul@detroitnews.com
@tonypaul1984
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Two victims in Lake Michigan drowning were college football teammates
Reporting by Tony Paul, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Tony Paul, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
