Induction 2012

• Sean was a three-year letter winner in track at Dowling Catholic High School. He was born with spina bifida, a disability with permanent paralysis caused by a hole in a person’s spinal cord. Unfortunately, the disease claimed his life in 1994.
• Sean was the first child with a disability integrated into the Indianapolis School District -- his firsts did not stop there
• While at Dowling, he was the first athlete in a wheelchair to compete in a State Track Meet in 1990, the first disabled athlete to be a Torch Runner for the Iowa Games, and the first disabled athlete in the nation to compete in a sanctioned high school track meet
• Other firsts include the first disabled athlete to compete in the Drake Marathon in 1989
• He was the IHSAA 200 meter wheelchair state champion in 1991.
• In the Junior National Disability Championships from 1989 to 1991, Sean won three Gold Medals and three Silver Medals. In the 1989 World Championships for Disable Youth he won four medals: one Gold, one Silver and two Bronze. The Gold Medal recognizes his World Record in the 1500m.
• In 1992 he received the “Director’s Award” from the Iowa Wheelchair Sports Association for his athletic skills and perseverance as well as his leadership and inspiration to others
• In his nomination document, David Anderson of the Iowa High School Athletic Association said, “The impact of Sean’s competition, hard work and courage will never be accurately measured. It did bring a state championship to Dowling Catholic High School, but in a greater sense, Sean accomplishments make him a Hall of Fame candidate because his efforts reflected the school’s values, while also opening opportunity for other Iowa students and students across the entire nation.”

• Representing Sean are his father Dennis Runyan, mother Suzan Runyan, brother Eric and sister Nicole `04.