Cape dentist Sauer was committed to youth sports

John L. Sauer IV, DDS, of Cape Girardeau, a former high school football referee, coach and supporter of youth sports in Jackson, is being remembered as a man who encouraged others professionally and who was passionate about sports. He died Monday at age 56.

Sauer, born in Mobile, Alabama, grew up in Willard, Missouri, near Springfield.

He died 23 days after his wife, Sheila, succumbed to cancer May 15.

"It's just a shock (and) what a shame to lose someone in the prime of his life," said Cape Girardeau Mayor Bob Fox, a fellow dentist, who employed Sauer as an associate for a year at Fox Dental before the latter left to establish his own practice.

Sauer's commitment to the sports career of his son, John Paul, a student at Jackson High School, was well-known in the wider community.

"[John] devoted his life to making sure he was there every step of the way for [John Paul], and you can't ask anything more of a father than to dedicate his life to his son," Fox added.

Katie Bradford, DDS, of Hendersonville, Tennessee, a dental anesthesiologist in private practice, once interned in Sauer's Cape office.

"Dentists tend to be territorial in their offices but [John] wasn't that way," said Bradford, adding, "he was very open and encouraging with me, always cheerful and never seemed to be in a bad mood."

Sauer founded the Tunica Extravaganza, an annual dental conference in Mississippi offering continuing education in the field.

Sauer was an all-conference football defensive end during his senior year at Willard High and played both football and baseball at Central Methodist University in Fayette, Missouri.

After obtaining his doctor of dental surgery degree from the University of Missouri at Kansas City (UMKC) in 1991, he started his dental practice on Broadway in Cape Girardeau in 2003.

His personal passion for sports was, in the words of Fox, "all consuming."

For 17 years, Sauer served as an official with the Southeast Missouri Football Officials Association and was a "white hat" referee for 11 of those years.

Only one of the five officials in a Show Me State high school football game wears a white hat, signifying he runs the officiating crew from his field position directly behind the quarterback.

Sauer's final game as an official was the 2012 Class 1 championship, pitting St. Genevieve's Valle Catholic against Penney High at the Edward Jones Dome.

"You only get to officiate a championship game in the state of Missouri if you're one of the top eight crews in the state," said Mike Dunaway of Cape Girardeau, an official with 18 years of experience, who worked as a frequent member of Sauer's crew.

"John let us know we were good enough to be (in the championship), but it was in our hands to prepare to have the opportunity," he added. Dunaway said during the off-season, Sauer would host weekly officiating meetings at his home to review the rule book and talk through situations that might come up in a contest.

"Whenever our crew showed up Friday at a school, it didn't matter if it was a Scott City-Chaffee game, or Kelly versus East Prairie or Cape Central against Sikeston, those teams were going to get the best crew that night they could possibly have because that's what John demanded," Dunaway explained.

Kyle Thompson, community bank president with Bank of Missouri in Jackson, has coached football for younger children alongside Sauer.

Sauer coached the inaugural third- and fourth-grade Jackson Warriors team to the Heartland Youth Football League championship in 2020.

"John had an amazing passion for youth and youth sports," said Thompson, adding Sauer's demeanor seemed to be just right for elementary-age children just learning the game.

"He had a unique ability to be loud and direct, yet the kids really enjoyed being around him [and] he created an environment for kids to learn football and yet have fun and laugh," Thompson said.

Bryan Austin, director of Tribe Baseball in Jackson, oversees 15 traveling teams of children ranging from age 7 to 14, and said Sauer's contribution to the success of the program cannot be overstated.

"John had the 8-and-unders in 2013 and back then, we only had two teams," Austin said, adding by 2014, there were 10 teams.

"John was 100% on board to grow the program and create a large pipeline feeding our (Jackson R-2) High School squad," he informed.

"Tribe Baseball was an immediate success, and a lot of the credit is due to John and his kind of bulldog mentality -- going out and telling people about the program and recruiting kids," Austin added, saying, "John would do whatever it took for Tribe baseball to be successful, whether it be giving his time or his money to help a child who may not be able to afford the fees."

The John L. Sauer Memorial Fund has been established for the betterment of Jackson youth sports.

Sauer is survived by three children, a grandson, his mother and a sister.