| Jon McCullough, CAS ’98
To look at Jon McCullough you wouldn’t know he has a disability. The fit soccer player walks and smiles easily as he chats about his latest adventures, including competing in the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens. Despite his disappointment at not medaling in Athens, McCullough returned to Virginia with new ambitions: finding a master’s program in international health policy; speaking to groups about his experiences on behalf of Home Depot, his Olympic sponsor; serving his third term on the prestigious Rules Committee and his fifth term as chairman of the U.S. Soccer Federation for Disabled Soccer. The irony of needing to strike a balance between proving his abilities within his disabilities isn’t lost on McCullough, who notes, “It’s actually one of my greatest obstacles, because you try to hide it as much as possible, but to be a Paralympic spokesperson you have to be physically disabled.” The 38-year-old McCullough began playing soccer when he was four years old, rising to captain at Rappahannock County High School. On graduating, he enlisted in the U. S. Coast Guard. Then, in February 1987, one morning at 2 a.m. while heading to deck for a training drill during rough seas, a heavy metal hatch came down on McCullough. His neck was crushed, and he was left with a traumatic brain injury, permanent damage to both shoulders and his right hip, and palsy in his left side. “I was in rehab for six years,” he says. Since then, however, his soccer-related accomplishments have piled up: the 1996 Atlanta Paralympic Games; 1998 Brazil Cerebral Palsy (CP) World Soccer Championship; 2001 CP World Cup in Nottingham, England; 2002 Pan Am Games in Chile; and 2003 World Soccer CP Championships in Argentina. Between these memorable experiences, McCullough completed his BS in international environmental health and credits his AU degree for his current success. “Most of what I do and say today is directly related to my degree—focused on health issues that deal with disability.” Now, he looks forward to reestablishing the award-winning adaptive soccer program he cofounded in Fairfax, Va. “The coolest part is the opportunity to do the youth programs and eliminate the barriers and stigmas for persons with disabilities. To do that by playing sports I’m passionate about—that’s awesome.” —Melissa Reichley continued next page |
