The Legacy Project: Jake Gould

Conner Hoyt
Nov 4 · 2 min read
“Huge” soccer and (Chelsea, Madrid, LAFC, Atlético?) fan, Jake.

There truly is not enough that can be said about the kind of friend that Jake Gould is. When I asked him how he’d like to be remembered, he answered, “I would love to be remembered as a dear friend to Conner Hoyt… and I can’t thank you enough for being the kind of friend you are — loyal to the soil! I’m excited to have an awesome post-graduate experience in Europe.”

I should have known he’d deflect his response away from himself… Well, off the top of the bat, I can definitely say he will be remembered as a dear friend of mine—and that we had an amazing time in Europe this summer. So check those boxes. But on a deeper dive, what’s so cool about Jake’s response is that it’s characteristic understatement from a guy who, although he’d never let you know it unless you weaseled it out of him, continues to find new ways to utilize his talents.

Jake is not a football nut; he’s a football maven. Couple his incredibly deep knowledge of the game with his media and communication savvy and you have someone who’s well on his way to realizing his goals.

I know Jake well enough at this point to have some good insight into why he does some of the things that he does. And so seeing him check his next goal in the grand master plan as though going down the line on another of the lists that he so diligently crafted in elementary school (See: Kobe’s Favorite Things and later, Places I Leave Keys) comes with little surprise.

What strikes me most, however, is his perpetual can-do attitude. From afar, it may seem like Jake wantonly stays awake until 5:00 a.m. as he dives down another rabbit hole—but there’s always purpose to his meanderings. “Well, I was editing,” or “Had to watch film!” are common refrains. There’s no such thing as an irrelevant detail or a worthwhile excuse.

I’ve learned so much from Jake—certainly a whole lot more than I’d ever be able to accurately convey. But his limitless creativity in channeling his passions into marketable skills has definitely been a huge source of inspiration for me. I think he’s onto something with those damn lists….

So take it from me: Jake’s a guy who seemingly has time for everything. No excuse, just produce. Cheers brother, and I’ll see you soon.

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