Mark Zupan

Mark Zupan was born on May 20, 1975 in Cleveland, Ohio. The son of Thomas and Linda Zupan, Mark played soccer and varsity football at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida and earned a scholarship to attend Florida Atlantic University. However, on October 14, 1993 Zupan was involved in a pick-up truck accident with his high school friend Christopher Igoe that resulted in a spinal injury that left Zupan a quadriplegic. Undaunted, Mark started playing wheelchair rugby in 1996 and eventually established himself as one of the single best and most formidable players of the game. Among his notable achievements in wheelchair rugby are: The gold medal in the 1999 World Wheelchair Games in Christchurch, New Zealand; first place in both the 2006 and 2008 Canada Cup as well as the 2006 North American Cup, the gold medal in the 2006 World Wheelchair Rugby Championships in Christchurch, New Zealand; the gold medal in the 2008 Paralympic Games, second place in the 2008 North American Cup, and the bronze medal in the 2004 Paralympic Games. Moreover, Zupan was named the U.S. Quad Rugby Association Wheelchair Rugby Athlete of the Year in 2004. Mark's autobiographical book "Gimp" was published in October, 2006. A graduate from Georgia Tech University, Mark not only works a full-time job as an engineer at C. Faulkner Engineering and co-owns two bars in Denver, Colorado, but also has toured the country as a motivational speaker.