Denver Branum
Achievements
Adaptive Sports Hall of FameFrom 1965–1979, Denver was a member of the 1968 Team USA Paralympic team competing in Tel Aviv, Israel; the 1972 team in Heidelberg, Germany; and the 1976 team in Toronto, Canada. He was a dominant athlete during that timeframe, winning 20 bronze medals, 50 silver medals, and 200 gold medals in competitions around the world.
Denver was a very versatile athlete, competing in swimming, track and field, basketball, and snooker. As a key team member, he played for 27 years with the Detroit Sparks and led the team to seven national championships. He was named to the NWBT All-Tournament Team eleven times. On top of all of his other skills and talents, Denver was an outstanding snooker billiards player.
Besides being inducted into the National Wheelchair Athletic Association Hall of Fame for his prowess in track and field, Denver was also inducted into the National Wheelchair Basketball Association Hall of Fame in 1991 and the Athletes with Disabilities Hall of Fame in 2003.
Denver led and inspired a generation of athletes from the time he began his competitive sports career in the mid-1960s. He worked tirelessly with many young athletes, coaching them and encouraging them to believe that the road to health and wellness for youth with disabilities is through sports and recreation. He succeeded in this endeavor by providing an outstanding example of how a disability shouldn’t be a barrier or define what a person is capable of.