CSU football turns boy with cerebral palsy into Spider-Man

Spider-Man doesn't walk. He shoots. He swings. He runs.

Dawson doesn't walk. He stands. Bound to a vertical wheelchair, his legs tethered to the frame to help keep him upright, a 5-year-old boy with cerebral palsy feels trapped.

He's not used to walking. He didn't take his first steps away from home until January and, frankly, doesn't enjoy placing one foot in front of the other.

Dawson didn't walk Tuesday. He ran. He shot webs. He tackled bad guys, defeating the villains of the Marvel Universe who disguised themselves as CSU football players. Because Tuesday, Dawson became Spider-Man and the Indoor Practice Facility at Colorado State University was his New York City.

With The Incredible Hulk by his side, Dawson equipped his web slingers and charged himself with spider venom before bringing Doctor Octopus, the Green Goblin and Venom to justice and restoring order to Manhattan.

"I have 10 cousins that I babysit, so I'm used to imagining things. With Dawson, I thought 'this kid loves Spider-Man and I'm a superhero guy, we can be in our own world,'" said CSU lineman Zach Stefo, who doubled as the Hulk Tuesday. "There were all of these bad guys around and we had to defend our base.

"You just have to have an imagination when you're with kids."

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So the web slingers were wide receiver gloves and the spider venom was Powerade. Low-budget theatrics be damned. For a kid who was admittedly having a bad day, spending an hour with the CSU football team and 14 of his friends from Respite Care was revolutionary.

Because Dawson didn't want to walk. But he ran, he shot, he tackled.

Cerebral palsy is a disorder that impairs motor skills due to damage occurred to the developing brain, often times during pregnancy. Conditions of patients with CP vary significantly; in Dawson's case it's periventricular leukomalacia with his legs present the largest challenge. He overcame that Tuesday.

His previous record walking distance was 50 feet. Tuesday he did 100 yards, not across a hard surface, but artificial turf. All it took was a reason to make the journey.

"Someone wanted to get him to walk, but they just kept telling him to walk, so he said 'no,'" Stefo said. "So I said, 'hey Spider-Man, we have to get to our base and get the secret formula,' so I gave him my Powerade and he started walking.

"If I was a kid and someone told me to walk in front of a camera and strangers, I would say no, too. If you create an environment and setting … he was motivated after that and he made it to the base."

First it was 10 yards to the base. Later another 40 to a tackling dummy at the other end of the field. Then came a 50-yard trek back, pulling behind him a wheelchair along a high-friction surface, like a runner trying to sprint in sand. It wasn't easy for Dawson, but if it meant saving the world from the forces of evil, he knew Spider-Man must succeed. And no one was happier to see Dawson break out of his comfort zone than Stefo, who looked more jubilant than his web-slinging sidekick.

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It's the important side of sports that few catch a glimpse of. However many football games CSU wins this season will be meaningless two years from now. The autographs, games of catch and worlds of make believe the entire CSU football team shared with kids from Respite Care on Tuesday, those interactions don't yield an expiration date. Not for the players, and certainly not for the kids with developmental disabilities who discovered superheroes don't always wear capes.

CSU's relationship with Respite Care, a non-profit in Fort Collins that provides short-term care for children with disabilities, dates back to the Sonny Lubick era and has continued with every coach since, including Mike Bobo, a father of five, who was adamant his players needed to have a connection with these kids.

No orders necessary. After two hours of non-stop conditioning, there was nothing the Rams wanted to do more than let the child in them shine through.

"People behind closed doors usually don't understand football players," CSU offensive lineman Trae Moxley said. "We have kind hearts and love to do stuff with people who aren't able to be as physically active. The stuff behind closed doors, like this, is what people should know, because that's where the good-heartedness, the human side, comes to life.

"We learn so much from each other."

Like how to become Spider-Man.

For insight and analysis on athletics around Northern Colorado and the Mountain West, follow sports columnist Matt L. Stephens at twitter.com/mattstephens and facebook.com/stephensreporting.