Mark Zupan (sportsman)

Mark Zupan (born May 20, 1975 in Cleveland, Ohio) is the captain of the United States quadriplegic wheelchair rugby team which competes in the Paralympic Games and the official spokesperson for Team USA. He is best known for his appearance in the 2005 film "Murderball".

Mark Zupan was born in Cleveland, Ohio, to his parents Thomas and Linda Zupan. He played varsity football and soccer in high school, earning him a scholarship to Florida Atlantic University. After a soccer game on October 14, 1993, Zupan got drunk with teammates at a bar and then crawled into the bed of his best friend's (Chris Igoe) truck to sleep. A short time later Igoe left the bar unaware that Zupan was asleep in the back. The truck was involved in a collision and Zupan was thrown from the pickup bed, over a fence, and into a canal, where he held onto a branch for 14 hours until being discovered by a passerby. [ [http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_multi=MH|&p_product=MH&p_theme=realcities2&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&s_site=miami&s_trackval=MH&s_dispstring=TROOPERS%20OVERLOOK%20MAN%20HURT%20IN%20WRECK%20AND%20date(all)&p_field_advanced-0=&p_text_advanced-0=(TROOPERS%20OVERLOOK%20MAN%20HURT%20IN%20WRECK)&xcal_numdocs=20&p_perpage=10&p_sort=_rank_:D&xcal_ranksort=4&xcal_useweights=yes] ] He went into hypothermia and became quadriplegic as a result of the accident. As an incomplete quadriplegic, Zupan is able to walk for short distances, but not well enough to get around without the aid of a wheelchair. [Gimp: When Life Deals You a Crappy Hand, You Can Fold -or You Can Play - ISBN: 9780061127687]

When asked if he would "turn back the clock on that day", Zupan answered "No, I don't think so. My injury has led me to opportunities and experiences and friendships I would never have had before. And it has taught me about myself. In some ways, it's the best thing that ever happened to me."

After his accident, Zupan graduated from Georgia Tech, became a two-time quad rugby national champion, the 2004 quad rugby player of the year. He was a member of the bronze medal-winning U.S. team at the 2004 Summer Paralympics, and the gold medal-winning team at the 2008 Games. He is a resident of Austin, Texas.

Zupan in Popular Culture

Zupan was featured as a customer in TLC's "Miami Ink", during the first season. Parts of his documentary were shown as background information.

Zupan's autobiography "GIMP : When Life Deals You a Crappy Hand, You Can Fold---or You Can Play" (ISBN 0-06-112768-X) was published by HarperCollins on October 17, 2006.

He was depicted in an episode of the claymation series "Celebrity Deathmatch" in a match against Chris Pontius. He won.

In August 2007, Zupan's team "Superman's Crip-Tonite" placed second in Red Bull Flugtag Austin. For their efforts they won a $3,000 prize. Zupan's Flugtag adventure was chronicled in an ESPN.com story by writer Mary Buckheit.

He was also in the movie , in a skit called "Lake Jump", where his wheelchair was rigged up with carbon dioxide tanks and pushed off a ramp by Chris Pontius. Before taking off, the tanks triggered, launching him off of the ramp and into the lake.

Zupan was featured on the second episode of season 3 of 30 Days, where former NFL athlete Ray Crockett was confined to a wheelchair for 30 days, and at one point attempted to play wheelchair rugby.

References

* Buckheit, Mary. " [http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=buckheit/070906 "Murderball's Mark Zupan Takes Flight at Flugtag"] ", ESPN.com. Sept. 6, 2007.
* Freydkin, Donna. " [http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2005-07-07-murderball-zupan_x.htm "From Murderball to reluctant movie star"] ", USA Today. July 7, 2005. Retrieved December 28, 2005.
* " [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2005/06/15/DI2005061502091.html "Mark Zupan Q&A"] ", Washington Post. July 22, 2005. Retrieved December 28, 2005. (transcript)
* [http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_multi=MH|&p_product=MH&p_theme=realcities2&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&s_site=miami&s_trackval=MH&s_dispstring=TROOPERS%20OVERLOOK%20MAN%20HURT%20IN%20WRECK%20AND%20date(all)&p_field_advanced-0=&p_text_advanced-0=(TROOPERS%20OVERLOOK%20MAN%20HURT%20IN%20WRECK)&xcal_numdocs=20&p_perpage=10&p_sort=_rank_:D&xcal_ranksort=4&xcal_useweights=yes "Troopers Overlook Man Hurt In Wreck"] , Miami Herald. October 16, 1993.

External links

* [http://www.mtv.com/shared/movies/features/m/murderball_blog_050627/ Mark Zupan's Murderball Journal]
* [http://www.quadfather.net/markzupan.htm Mark Zupan profile] on quadfather.net
* [http://www.kepplerspeakers.com/speakers/speakers.asp?1-4QB9 Mark Zupan Biography]