SCI Superstar: Mark Zupan

Mark Zupan, paralyzed in 1993 after being thrown from the back seat of his friend’s car, is an amazing paralyzed athlete. A Paralympic gold medalist in Wheelchair Rugby, he’s also an author, engineer and movie producer. Read on for his story.

Why He’s Fearless

Mark was a soccer player before his injury and had a full-ride scholarship to Florida Atlantic University. After his injury at 18 years old however after a college game, Mark had to change gears. He decided to attend Georgia Tech to study engineering, where he discovered wheelchair rugby. While in college, he went on to be the two-time national champion in the sport. 

And by 2004, Mark was chosen to be the Quad Rugby Player of the Year. But it didn’t stop there. Thanks to his prowess, Mark snagged Hollywood’s attention in 2004. A documentary was made about wheelchair rugby, as well as Mark, his team and it’s players. It was called Murderball.

Murderball went on to win several film awards and helped put wheelchair rugby in the pop culture-sphere. Mark’s amazing rugby skills also caught the attention of the people behind the Jackass movies. Mark was in Jackass Number Two, where he went down a ramp in his wheelchair with carbon dioxide tanks rigged up to it, and was pushed into a lake. And in 2006, he published his memoirs, Gimp: When Life Deals You a Crappy Hand, You Can Fold or You Can Play. 

One of his biggest moments however in the sport came from the Paralympics. In 2004, he was a member of the bronze medal-winning US team at the Athens Paralympics. And in 2008, he represented the US again at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics and was Team Captain, helping lead the team to win gold.

What’s Next?

By the time the 2012 Paralympics arrived, Mark had retired from the sport and moved on to more artistic endeavors. He’s been seen on the reality show, Nitro Circus, and he went on to produce films. He was the associate producer of the 2010 film, Monogamy, starring Rashida Jones. He was also an actor in the film Disconnect in 2012, playing a drug dealer. And in 2007, he had a small part in a Friday Night Lights episode.

While playing wheelchair rugby, Mark has always worked as an engineer, which he’s done since 2000. He has been a project manager and a principal engineer at firms throughout Austin, Texas. Mark lives with his wife Morgan in Texas, whom he married in 2019, and their son.

— Follow Mark on Facebook