{"id":1286,"date":"2026-05-23T13:05:02","date_gmt":"2026-05-23T13:05:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=1286"},"modified":"2026-05-23T13:05:02","modified_gmt":"2026-05-23T13:05:02","slug":"studying-sports-and-disability-he-laid-the-groundwork-for-the-special-olympics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=1286","title":{"rendered":"Studying sports and disability, he laid the groundwork for the Special Olympics"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Frank Hayden, who has died at 96, saw sports as a gateway to opportunity for children with special needs.<\/strong><\/p><p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=1280\">Lauren Betts is off to a slow start. The Mystics aren\u2019t worried.<\/a><\/p>\n<figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1282\" height=\"713\" src=\"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/3cc686b368a4819b9844042e03fa8d51-1024x713.jpg\" width=\"1024\" srcset=\"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/3cc686b368a4819b9844042e03fa8d51-1024x713.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/3cc686b368a4819b9844042e03fa8d51-300x209.jpg 300w, https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/3cc686b368a4819b9844042e03fa8d51-768x535.jpg 768w, https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/3cc686b368a4819b9844042e03fa8d51-1536x1069.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/3cc686b368a4819b9844042e03fa8d51.jpg 1967w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n<figcaption>Canadian sports scientist Frank Hayden in the 1960s. (Courtesy Special Olympics Canada)<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n<p>On a sweltering July day in 1968, 1,000 young athletes gathered at Soldier Field in Chicago, where they ran, jumped, threw balls and swam.<\/p>\n<p>Few spectators were there to witness the inaugural Special Olympics International Summer Games. But the competitors, all boys and girls with intellectual disabilities, helped usher in a new and more inclusive era in sports, at a time when children with special needs were often locked away at home or shipped off to institutions.<\/p>\n<p>The event was publicly spearheaded by Eunice Kennedy Shriver, whose brother Robert F. Kennedy had been killed only six weeks earlier, and was mounted with help from a small group of physical education teachers, disabilities experts and physiologists, including a Canadian professor, Frank Hayden, whose research helped convince Shriver that such an event was possible.<\/p>\n<p>For years, parents and educators had believed that young people with Down syndrome and other intellectual disabilities were incapable of playing sports or engaging in physical activities. Dr. Hayden helped dispel that myth, showing that kids with special needs were hindered mainly by lack of opportunity. With guidance and encouragement, he argued, they could see improvement in physical fitness while also gaining social skills and confidence.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy idea wasn\u2019t to find the fastest runner with an intellectual disability,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.specialolympics.org\/stories\/news\/special-olympics-celebrates-the-legacy-of-dr-frank-hayden\" rel=\"noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"https:\/\/www.specialolympics.org\/stories\/news\/special-olympics-celebrates-the-legacy-of-dr-frank-hayden\">he said<\/a>. \u201cIt was to make them fitter and healthier, so they have the opportunity to live their potential.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Hayden, who spent years championing the Special Olympics and spreading the movement to countries around the world \u2014 a quest that led him to call himself \u201cthe Billy Graham of the Special Olympics\u201d \u2014 died May 16 at 96.<\/p>\n<p>His death, in Oakville, Ontario, was confirmed by Canada\u2019s Special Olympics organization, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.specialolympics.ca\/stories-and-news\/special-olympics-celebrates-the-legacy-of-founding-figure-dr-frank-hayden\/\" rel=\"noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"https:\/\/www.specialolympics.ca\/stories-and-news\/special-olympics-celebrates-the-legacy-of-founding-figure-dr-frank-hayden\/\">which said<\/a> his \u201cresearch was the spark that ignited the Special Olympics movement.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-medium_large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1283\" height=\"512\" src=\"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/9649d35ea4b562ef3d4b03cbd3001325-768x512.jpg\" width=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/9649d35ea4b562ef3d4b03cbd3001325-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/9649d35ea4b562ef3d4b03cbd3001325-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/9649d35ea4b562ef3d4b03cbd3001325.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n<figcaption>Dr. Hayden with Amanda Manzardo at the 2010 Special Olympics Canada Summer Games in London, Ontario. (Courtesy Special Olympics Canada)<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n<p>\u201cAt the time, the prevailing literature indicated that this was just the way it was going to be: There was no way that kids with intellectual impairments would become more physically active, which would lead to healthier lifestyles and healthier outcomes,\u201d said sports researcher Laura Misener, who holds an endowed chair named in Dr. Hayden\u2019s honor at Western University in Ontario.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe pushed that narrative aside,\u201d she said, \u201cand demonstrated that kids with intellectual disabilities could be involved in sports and physically active.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Hayden never set out to become an expert on disabilities. But while finishing his graduate studies in the early 1960s, preparing to start a job as a research associate at the University of Toronto, he got a call from his new boss, who told him about a Rotary Club grant for a fitness study on children with special needs.<\/p>\n<p>The grant would cover half of Dr. Hayden\u2019s salary.<\/p>\n<p>Was he interested?<\/p>\n<p>After spending two days in the library, where Dr. Hayden discovered that there was virtually no published research on fitness and intellectual disabilities, he decided the answer was yes. \u201cI figured that I would become an instant expert,\u201d he said, \u201cand that I had a blank sheet.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Over the next few years, he worked with disabled children at the Beverley School in Toronto, leading them in sit-ups, running and jumping activities. The students were about half as physically fit as children without cognitive disabilities, he found, but no wonder: \u201cThey didn\u2019t ever run, skate, play ball, didn\u2019t play kick the can.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Through patient coaching and an exercise plan, he found that the students could grow strong and gain confidence that helped them widen their abilities in other areas. He cited the case of a Beverley student who \u201clearned to read because he played floor hockey,\u201d since he \u201cwanted to know what was being written about him in the school paper.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Hayden drew on his research to write a 1964 training manual for people with intellectual disabilities, aimed at educators and parents. He originally intended to distribute 1,000 copies, he said. But the book took off, selling more than 50,000 copies and reinforcing his belief that there was a hunger for new fitness programs, and potential for a large-scale sporting event for children with special needs.<\/p>\n<p>His initial proposal, for a Canadian national games tied to the country\u2019s 100th birthday, went nowhere. But his efforts attracted the attention of Shriver, whose advocacy efforts were informed by her bond with her sister Rosemary Kennedy, who was born with an apparent intellectual disability and institutionalized after a lobotomy. Shriver and her husband, Peace Corps director Sargent Shriver, invited Dr. Hayden to their home and asked if he could organize a national games for the United States.<\/p><p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=1276\">Former F1 champion Alain Prost reportedly injured as police investigate robbery at family home<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI told them I wasn\u2019t coming,\u201d Dr. Hayden said in a <a href=\"https:\/\/thecanadianencyclopedia.ca\/en\/article\/in-conversation-with-dr-frank-hayden\" rel=\"noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"https:\/\/thecanadianencyclopedia.ca\/en\/article\/in-conversation-with-dr-frank-hayden\">2016 interview<\/a> for the Canadian Encyclopedia, recalling how he had little interest in leaving Ontario. \u201cBut when you keep on saying no to those folks, it means they must have you. I went to Washington for four months and stayed for seven and a half years.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Working under Eunice Kennedy Shriver, he served as a fitness director for the Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Foundation, which sponsored the first Special Olympics in partnership with the Chicago Park District. He went on to serve as executive director of the newly established Special Olympics organization, and helped launch dozens of Special Olympics groups worldwide while leading its international development office and office of European affairs.<\/p>\n<p>Special Olympics programs now reach more than 4 million athletes in over 200 countries and territories. Dr. Hayden \u2014 better known as \u201cDr. Frank\u201d \u2014 visited many of those events and was a staple at competitions and fundraisers in Canada, where he was accompanied by his wife, Marion Hayden, until her death <a href=\"https:\/\/www.specialolympics.ca\/stories-and-news\/special-olympics-canada-mourns-the-passing-of-marion-hayden-a-champion-of-inclusion-and-beloved-friend-of-the-movement-squad-2025\/\" rel=\"noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"https:\/\/www.specialolympics.ca\/stories-and-news\/special-olympics-canada-mourns-the-passing-of-marion-hayden-a-champion-of-inclusion-and-beloved-friend-of-the-movement-squad-2025\/\">in 2024<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe was more excited to meet the athletes than they were excited to meet him,\u201d said Sue McDermott, whose son Darby Taylor, a Special Olympics athlete with autism and an intellectual disability, successfully nominated Dr. Hayden for <a href=\"https:\/\/halloffamers.sportshall.ca\/?dr_frank_hayden&amp;language=EN\" rel=\"noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"https:\/\/halloffamers.sportshall.ca\/?dr_frank_hayden&amp;language=EN\">Canada\u2019s Sports Hall of Fame<\/a>. \u201cHe made Darby feel so special, and he did that for every athlete he met.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For athletes like Taylor, a 31-year-old from Calgary, Special Olympics can feel like a second family.<\/p>\n<p>Thanks to the group, Taylor said in a phone interview and a recent speech, he\u2019s learned to be a part of a team, to take better care of himself and to be more independent.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve been blessed to never have been bullied, but I have been ignored,\u201d he said. Yet after going to weekly bocce and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.specialolympics.org\/what-we-do\/sports\/floorball\" rel=\"noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"https:\/\/www.specialolympics.org\/what-we-do\/sports\/floorball\">floorball<\/a> programs in Calgary, Alberta, and traveling to competitions across the province, \u201cI\u2019ve become good friends with other people with special needs who don\u2019t stare or laugh at me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf I\u2019m rocking with excitement on the bench,\u201d he said, \u201cthey\u2019re often rocking, too.\u201d<b> <\/b><\/p>\n<figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1284\" height=\"697\" src=\"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/8c2687c743dd8362ab526715e24e8caf-1024x697.jpeg\" width=\"1024\" srcset=\"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/8c2687c743dd8362ab526715e24e8caf-1024x697.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/8c2687c743dd8362ab526715e24e8caf-300x204.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/8c2687c743dd8362ab526715e24e8caf-768x522.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/8c2687c743dd8362ab526715e24e8caf-1536x1045.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/8c2687c743dd8362ab526715e24e8caf-2048x1393.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n<figcaption>Dr. Hayden with his wife, Marion Hayden, and the family of Special Olympics athlete Darby Taylor. (Courtesy Special Olympics Canada)<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n<p>A son of Irish immigrants, Francis Joseph Hayden was born in Windsor, Ontario, on Jan. 11, 1930. He grew up in St. Catharines, just west of Niagara Falls, where he gravitated toward wrestling, lacrosse and track and field while playing every sport he could.<\/p>\n<p>After receiving a physical education degree from Western University, he attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, earning a PhD in 1962. He later served on the faculty at Western and directed the School of Physical Education and Athletics at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario.<\/p>\n<p>Survivors include four children, Murn Meyrick, Laura Thomson, and Jamie and Sean Hayden; six grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Hayden was named a companion in the Order of Canada and honored through the naming of an Ontario high school, Hayden Secondary. But he often said that his greatest professional reward came from interactions with athletes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI guess the greatest thrill I ever got was sitting in a swimming pool watching a girl try to swim 75 yards,\u201d he told the Ottawa Citizen in 1969. \u201cShe kept going and the crowd kept cheering her on. You know, the crowd cheered her louder than they would have applauded a gold medal winner in the actual Olympics.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1285\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/34927a46343679094bf367503f035f56-1024x1024.jpg\" width=\"1024\" srcset=\"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/34927a46343679094bf367503f035f56-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/34927a46343679094bf367503f035f56-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/34927a46343679094bf367503f035f56-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/34927a46343679094bf367503f035f56-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/34927a46343679094bf367503f035f56.jpg 1535w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n<figcaption>Dr. Hayden with Special Olympics athletes. (Courtesy Special Olympics Canada)<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n<p><i>This article is part of A Notable Life, an obituary feature telling the stories of remarkable people every Saturday.<\/i><\/p><p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=1273\">Auckland FC beats Sydney FC 1-0 to become 1st New Zealand team to win Australian league title<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Frank Hayden, who has died at 96, saw sports as a gateway to opportunity for people with special needs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1281,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1286","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Studying sports and disability, he laid the groundwork for the Special Olympics - Moving Insider USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=1286\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Studying sports and disability, he laid the groundwork for the Special Olympics - Moving Insider USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Frank Hayden, who has died at 96, saw sports as a gateway to opportunity for people with special needs.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=1286\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Moving Insider USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-23T13:05:02+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/3cc686b368a4819b9844042e03fa8d51.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1967\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1369\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/?p=1286#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/?p=1286\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/22d40ab81790f6a361021763bb56ef03\"},\"headline\":\"Studying sports and disability, he laid the groundwork for the Special Olympics\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-23T13:05:02+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/?p=1286\"},\"wordCount\":1460,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/?p=1286#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/7df09ece41d6708de32911f662a730b6.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Interesting\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/?p=1286#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/?p=1286\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/?p=1286\",\"name\":\"Studying sports and disability, he laid the groundwork for the Special Olympics - 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He was the executive director of the first Special Olympics Games, held at Chicago's Soldier Field in 1968. (Courtesy Special Olympics Canada)\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/?p=1286#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Studying sports and disability, he laid the groundwork for the Special Olympics\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Moving Insider USA\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/22d40ab81790f6a361021763bb56ef03\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Studying sports and disability, he laid the groundwork for the Special Olympics - 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