UA Special Olympics College Looks to Add Another Win in ‘Iron Bowl’

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The University of Alabama Special Olympics College will host Auburn University in a flag football match Sunday at the UA Recreational fields.

Dubbed the “Iron Bowl,” the game is a “unified” competition and the fourth year the two programs have faced one another. The game will kick off at 2 p.m. after a tailgate at 1 p.m.

Unified Sports is a burgeoning, inclusive sports initiative in which teams must have at least 50 percent young adults with intellectual disabilities (athletes) and the offset from typical students (partners) enrolled at UA.

Students at UA partner with Tuscaloosa area athletes who compete in the Miracle League or in the Special Olympics. UA Special Olympics College has more than 20 area athletes and competes in football, basketball and volleyball.

“It’s been tremendous in how the program has grown from just having two games to now having Auburn, LSU and Ole Miss,” said Ivan Bailey, president of UA Special Olympics College. “We even have a cheerleading team now. We’ve had a lot of help from the teachers here at UA, pushing out the word to our classmates. People around the Quad stop and ask to play. Everyone on campus wants to be involved.”

UA beat Ole Miss in a unified game last month and looks to win its third game in four years over Auburn. One of the team’s key players – UA freshman RJ Nealon – plays wide receiver and defensive back. He scored a touchdown against Ole Miss and didn’t allow a catch.

“I’m still learning a lot about the rivalry,” said Nealon, who has cerebral palsy. “My sister graduated from UA, so I grew up watching that rivalry. Now that I get to play in it, all kinds of emotions are going through my mind.”

Nealon, of Kent Island, Maryland, came to UA as a decorated Special Olympian, earning three gold medals and a silver in the 2010 Special Olympics National Championships. Nealon is the first UA Special Olympics athlete to compete as a UA student. Nealon said he chose to attend UA because of its Special Olympics College program and its broadcast journalism program.

“I want to be a sports broadcaster,” Nealon said. “I applied to different schools, but it came down to UA Coastal Carolina. Alabama had the best program, but I had the opportunity to play sports as well. UA has everything I need.”