Adam Zagoria covers basketball at all levels. He is the author of two books and an award-winning journalist whose articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Sports Illustrated, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide.
With Thanksgiving coming up this week, here’s a great story to warm your heart.
Kyle Weafer is a football player at Blue Valley Northwest High School in Overland Park, Kansas, who just happens to be austistic.
According to this column by Mark Dewar of Sun Publications, Weafer had never shown much interest in football until his past offseason.
“Then in January of this year, Kyle looked at me and said, ‘I play football,’” his father, Bob, told Dewar.
And with the support of Coach Mike Zegunis and his Huskies teammates, Kyle trained and practiced with the team and played in several games.
“It is a blessing,” Huskies senior quarterback Koby Chadick said, “to see him every day. Because even when you are down and you’ve got a bad attitude, he always comes to practice with a good attitude. He’s always high spirited. Just to see him makes us happier, makes us want to be here…He works just as hard as anyone on the team.”
For the first time this year, high school players can be nominated for a Rudy award.
According to the official criteria, Rudy Awards “measure the size of a player’s heart. We are searching for high school football players who demonstrate what Rudy calls “The Four C’s”: Character, Courage, Contribution and Commitment.
During this Thanksgiving Week, I humbly encourage all of you to to go online here and vote for Kyle Weafer.Thanks and happy holidays.Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter
Adam Zagoria is a Basketball Insider who covers basketball at all levels. A contributor to The New York Times and SportsNet New York (SNY), he is also the author of two books and is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker. His articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide. He also won an Emmy award for his work on the SNY mini-documentary on Syracuse guard Tyus Battle.
A veteran Ultimate Frisbee player, he has competed in numerous National and World Championships and, perhaps more importantly, his teams won the Westchester Summer League (WSL) championships in 2011 and 2013.
He lives in Manhattan with his wife and children.
With Thanksgiving coming up this week, here’s a great story to warm your heart.
Kyle Weafer is a football player at Blue Valley Northwest High School in Overland Park, Kansas, who just happens to be austistic.
According to this column by Mark Dewar of Sun Publications, Weafer had never shown much interest in football until his past offseason.
“Then in January of this year, Kyle looked at me and said, ‘I play football,’” his father, Bob, told Dewar.
And with the support of Coach Mike Zegunis and his Huskies teammates, Kyle trained and practiced with the team and played in several games.
“It is a blessing,” Huskies senior quarterback Koby Chadick said, “to see him every day. Because even when you are down and you’ve got a bad attitude, he always comes to practice with a good attitude. He’s always high spirited. Just to see him makes us happier, makes us want to be here…He works just as hard as anyone on the team.”
For the first time this year, high school players can be nominated for a Rudy award.
According to the official criteria, Rudy Awards “measure the size of a player’s heart. We are searching for high school football players who demonstrate what Rudy calls “The Four C’s”: Character, Courage, Contribution and Commitment.
During this Thanksgiving Week, I humbly encourage all of you to to go online here and vote for Kyle Weafer.
Thanks and happy holidays.
Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter
