Algonquin native to be inducted into U.S. Quadriplegic Rugby Hall of Fame

Kevin Orr used to crawl up two flights of stairs to practice each day when he wrestled at Jacobs in the 1980s.

While his Golden Eagles teammates did running for their conditioning, Orr, who was born with limited use of his legs and wrestled from the mat, did pushups and situps.

Adapting and overcoming was a life skill for Orr.

When Orr’s brothers, Steve and Dave, wanted to play baseball with the neighborhood kids, Kevin was never left out. He grabbed his crutches and glove and joined in, knowing he’d probably be the last player picked.

“That only fired me up,” Kevin said. “I thought, ‘I got to get on base to prove these guys wrong.’ ”

Orr, 50, never took no for an answer. Mike and Sue Orr treated Kevin like their other two sons who did not have disabilities. Steve and Dave always included Kevin in their activities.

Instead of worrying about a kid who could not run or jump, their mission became finding a way to make things work.

It served Orr well. He graduated from Jacobs in 1986, competed in wheelchair basketball and track in college at Illinois, then made a career out of helping other disabled athletes achieve their highest goals. On Saturday in Rockford, Orr will be inducted into the U.S. Quadriplegic Rugby Hall of Fame. Already he is a member of the Dixie Wheelchair Athletic Association Hall of Fame and the National Wheelchair Basketball Hall of Fame.

Orr, who formerly coached Canada’s national wheelchair rugby team and currently coaches Japan’s, also was recognized several years ago by Jacobs as a Distinguished Alumnus.

“We always said, ‘If you want to do something, you can figure out a way to do it,’ ” said Sue Orr, who lives in Roscoe and will be there Saturday with her sons. “If you stop and think, you can figure things out and do what you want to do.”

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Kevin Orr was born with arthrogryposis multiplex congenita, which affects development of multiple joint contractures in two or more areas of the body before birth. A joint becomes permanently fixed in a bent or straightened position, which impacts the function and motion of the joint and can lead to muscle atrophy.

Orr needed crutches and braces or a wheelchair to get around, although he didn’t let it slow him down much. It started with swimming on the Algonquin swim team that Sue coached, which was easily adaptable. He could not play soccer because of safety issues, so he refereed. When Dave, his twin, started wrestling with the Dundee Highlanders club team, Kevin did as well.

“I was never really that good, but I was in the lower weight classes, which they had trouble finding kids for,” said Orr, who lives with his wife, Stephanie, and daughters, Allysa and Kaylee, in Pelham, Alabama, just outside of Birmingham. “I was pretty fit then. I’d just crawl where I went. That’s how I got around.”

Steve Orr, who lives in Crystal Lake, is amazed at the things his brother has accomplished through coaching and in everyday life.

“Kev is a guy who doesn’t say, ‘No,’ ” Steve said. “He doesn’t let anything inhibit him. That’s a message bigger than sport. He doesn’t accept that he’s limited.”

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Orr’s life-changing moment came in 1984, the summer after his sophomore year at Jacobs, when Sue told him there was something with the 1984 Olympic Games that he needed to see. Wheelchair racing was a demonstration sport, and U.S. paralympic athlete Sharon Hedrick won gold in the 800 meters.

“It changed my focus on what I wanted to be,” Orr said. “When I was growing up, sports really intrigued me, but I was never really accepted as a sports guy. I loved sports, P.E., recess, playing in the backyard. I loved it, man.”

A door had opened.

Orr realized there were opportunities for disabled athletes. When he started at Illinois in 1986, he was coached by Brad Hedrick, Sharon’s husband, in wheelchair basketball and track. Orr played on four national champion wheelchair basketball teams for Hedrick.

In 1988, Orr won bronze medals in the Seoul, South Korea, Olympics in the 800 and 1,500 meters.

Orr initially thought he might study chemistry or engineering in college. Instead, he majored in therapeutic recreation, a field that allowed him to help disabled athletes the way that Hedrick helped him.

“That day affected me,” Orr said. “Disability sport had never been portrayed in that kind of light. That was about pure competition. That changed what I was going to be.”

Orr moved to Alabama after graduating from Illinois in 1990. He worked at Lakeshore Hospital and for Lakeshore Recreation, in Birmingham, working with programs for children and adults with physical disabilities. In 2009, he took a full-time job as the wheelchair rugby coach for Canada’s national team. In 2017, he took a similar job with Japan. Four of his Japanese players will play in a tournament in Rockford this week.

“The bigger message he tells them is there’s no boundaries,” Steve Orr said. “I’ve seen Kevin motivate kids. I’ve seen him tell kids that if they don’t want to participate in a program, they need to leave. He wants them to participate and learn about sports. He wants them to grow in their confidence and build their character. I’ve been very proud of him and how he’s carried himself. He’s inspired me, too, that nothing we put our minds to is unachievable.”

Basically, Kevin Orr thought if there was a will, there was a way. And he always had a will.

“I don’t think I ever had the attitude, ‘Everything’s over,’ ” Orr said. “It was, ‘Hey, let’s figure out how to do stuff.’ It was never about what I couldn’t do. My brothers were great about figuring out ways to do things. They wanted me to be involved, which was cool. Sports have always been important to me because of the challenges they give you.”