Sebastian DeFrancesco
Competition | 1998
Hometown: Santa Cruz, California
Sebastian “Dee” DeFrancesco was an athlete whose love of sports was equal to his athletic skill and versatility. He began his competitive athletic career in 1978. Dee participated regularly in as many as seven sports during this stellar career. His greatest expertise, however, was in Table Tennis, a sport that launched him into four Paralympic competitions. His career records in international table tennis competition include eleven gold, five silver and four bronze medals.
In the United States, Dee dominated his class in Table Tennis for nearly two decades. He captured a total of seventeen national championship titles during that time period.
Dee’s contributions outside of the competition arena are equally impressive and well-documented. He was instrumental in developing five rugby teams on the East Coast while living in Boston, including the Boston Pit Bulls, a team for which he both played and coached for nearly a decade. He was involved as a coach in multiple junior sports programs and also coach adult wheelchair basketball teams in both New England and California for nearly two decades.
Dee also gave back to the organization by serving on the Board of Directors of the National Wheelchair Athletic Association/Wheelchair Sports USA for more than a decade, including many years as the Vice-Chairman of the organization.
Sebastian, a retired Vietnam veteran, is a happily married father of three young daughters. His wife, Liz, was a well-regarded and long time Swim Coach in the San Jose area and with the Far West Wheelchair Athletic Association.
