PEORIA, Ariz. — At 17 years old, Bruno Bailon accomplished his biggest dream while making history at his Peoria high school.
As a senior at Sunrise Mountain High School, he is the first varsity football player with autism on the team.
“I feel so happy I’m in the team like I get to be a part of this program,” Bailon said. “It’s the best day of my life honestly.”
Bailon began playing sports when he was eight years old. First with baseball, soccer, and then basketball, but football always won above them all.
“Football is my favorite sport growing up,” he said. “I love watching NFL, I just want to play football.”
The defensive lineman says Coach Steve Decker and his teammates welcomed him with open arms, making him feel like he was a part of their family.
“It’s special, I love Bruno,” Coach Decker said. “He’s a great kid and I love him being around, I love mentoring him, and I love to see our kids bringing him along and mentoring him also.”
Bailon has been involved in Special Olympics for several years, in and outside the Peoria Unified School District, his mother told 12News.
She said during the last four years, he played football with kids with special needs, until that experience motivated him to try out for the varsity team.
With her approval and school staff on board, Bailon gets to show the rest of the world his love for the sport.
“Bruno works hard just like everybody else,” Coach Decker said. “The expectations are the same for him. He buys into that, and all the boys take him on like he is part of the team, which he is.”
For Bailon, being a part of the team is just the first step to showing others that they can do it too. But said he hopes he’s also not the last.
“It doesn’t matter if you have a disability if you’re autistic or have down syndrome, or any other disabilities, you can still be in this program, you can still have fun. Always push hard. If you want to accomplish your dreams push it harder,” Bailon said.
VERSIÓN EN ESPAÑOL: Un joven con autismo juega fútbol americano en una preparatoria de Peoria haciendo historia
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