Jackie Spellman plays for the Huskies during the 2005 season.

Former women's soccer player Spellman passes
May 7, 2009
Boston, Mass.

Former Northeastern women's soccer player Jackie Spellman passed away on April 28 after a battle with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). Spellman was a standout midfielder and defender for the Huskies, she was an excellent student and had a budding career in sports marketing. She was just 25 years old.

"Jackie was a great player and helped the team tremendously during its transition from the America East Conference to the CAA," said head coach Ed Matz. "But regardless of what she did on the field, Jackie is much more a loss as a person to the Northeastern women's soccer family."

Spellman was known by her coaches and teammates as someone who was energetic, driven and highly competitive on the field. Matz said those attributes helped Spellman during her fight with AML.

For the Huskies women's soccer team, Spellman played in a career-record 78 games over four seasons as a midfielder and defender from 2002-05. An impact player on both ends of the field, she scored three goals and added four assists in her four seasons.

Her first year, Spellman was the only freshman to play in all 20 games. The next season, she started 17 of the 18 games she played in and scored her first goal, the game-winner, in a 3-0 win over Binghamton. In 2004, Spellman started all 21 games for NU and had two goals and two assists, including the only goal in a 1-0 win over Stony Brook and the first goal in a 2-1 win over Providence. She was named America East All-Conference honorable mention as a junior. As a senior, Spellman played in all 19 games for NU and posted a pair of assists.

"Jackie was the heart of the team for the four years I was on it. She just didn't stop, she was resilient. I'd say 'perseverance' is the best word to describe her" said Filippa Petruccelli, who played alongside Spellman from 2002-05. "Basically everything she did was all or nothing. She put her heart and soul into everything on and off the field and always worked hard for Northeastern. She was a role-model student and athlete and a great teammate and friend. We all lost a great person."

A career-oriented student-athlete, Spellman worked as a co-op student in the Northeastern Athletics Department's marketing area. After she graduated, she began a bright career in sports marketing in a position with the Atlanta Hawks and Atlanta Thrashers. In March 2008, she accepted a position with the NFL's Houston Texans and moved to Houston. She learned of her diagnosis shortly after beginning in the position with the Texans.

Spellman grew up in Wethersfield, Conn., and graduated from Wethersfield High. She came to Northeastern in the fall of 2002 and graduated with honors in 2007. Most recently, she resided in Greatwood, Texas.

Spellman was buried on May 4 at the Village Cemetery in Weathersfield, Conn. More information about Spellman and her battle with AML, see her family-maintained web site jackiespellmanbenefit.org.

Links:
• jackiespellmanbenefit.org
• Obituary on Farley-Sullivan Funeral Home web site