Superstar Ricardo Benitez

“The Only Disability is a BAD ATTITUDE!”
Ricardo has Caudal Regression Syndrome Femur Hypoplasia Bilateral, missing his thigh bones in both legs. He stands at 4'2 and 107 pounds.
Ricardo is an incredible athlete and loves football. He began playing peewee football, but never saw the field because the coach was afraid he would get hurt; but that didn't crush his dreams of one day playing football. As he kept playing over the years, Ricardo began to inspire countless players, including many of the current Dallas Cowboys!
At the age of 15, he broke a 20-year record in his class by benching 215 pounds, while only weighing 100 pounds. Ricardo played on his high school’s varsity team and even recorded a sack his last year! However, he had to overcome mean comments from people, even those he had never met. But that has only motivated him to continue to pursue the passion that he trains hard for every day. Today he is on the roster for the Baylor Bears!
He is extremely committed to giving back to other children with disabilities. This past summer he volunteered as a camp counselor at Camp John Mark from Scottish Rite in Dallas, and has plans to return to the camp full time.
As a sophomore in college, Ricardo earned academic recognition for his accomplishment as a college athlete. He is majoring in Kinesiology and plans to pursue football as a coach to the highest level--the NFL. Until then, he looks forward to showing all student athletes that the only disability is a bad attitude. He is proving that you can “always keep trying and to never stop pursuing the dream to be awesome.”