{"id":323132,"date":"2024-12-15T11:55:37","date_gmt":"2024-12-15T17:55:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=323132"},"modified":"2024-12-13T22:49:15","modified_gmt":"2024-12-14T04:49:15","slug":"football-down-syndrome-viral","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/football-down-syndrome-viral\/","title":{"rendered":"High school football player with Down syndrome goes viral"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Peter Kuhn, a senior with Down Syndrome on the Valley Regional\/Old Lyme football team in Connecticut, is well-known around school and the town of Old Lyme as \u201cThe Mayor” and\u00a0 \u201cPizza Pete.” His mother calls him a \u201cRenaissance man\u201d because of his love of singing, painting, and art. He\u2019s also a valued member of the high school football team.<\/span><\/p>\n

“He is a heart-and-soul kid,\u201d said head coach Hill Gbunblee to <\/span>CT Insider<\/span><\/a>. \u201cHe comes to practice. I’m his position coach. Running back drills, he’s right there with each and every one of us. He’s a part of this and we wrap our arms around him and fully embrace him.”\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

And by all accounts, Kuhn is a great guy, and a valuable and fully-contributing member of the team. “He was the high-scoring player for a while,” his dad, Adam Kuhn chuckles. “He loves it; they love it. The team really gets into it. It’s a good thing to see.”<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPete\u2019s not just a glorified member,” Gbunblee told <\/span>TODAY<\/span><\/a>. \u201cHe\u2019s out there hustling. He\u2019s running drills. He\u2019s in the gym conditioning. Pete is a part of everything we do. And he\u2019s also our biggest cheerleader.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n