Editor’s Note: This feature story appears in the spring 2015 issue of Tech Action magazine. There, in the 2006-07 Arkansas Tech University men’s basketball team photo, stands Irvin Humphrey — a tall, lanky freshman from Boutte, La., who chose to join a Wonder Boys basketball program that hadn’t appeared in the postseason in six years and hadn’t won a postseason game in a decade. He’s there in the images from when Arkansas Tech ended that postseason drought with a victory in the 2008 Gulf South Conference Tournament. And he’s prominent in the photographs from the following year, at the same event, when the Wonder Boys held the championship trophy above their heads and clinched their first-ever NCAA Tournament berth. Take a look at the photos from Jan. 23, 2010 — the night Arkansas Tech played a home men’s basketball game as the No. 1 team in the country for the first time ever. The Wonder Boys defeated Delta State University 88-77 in front of 4,122 fans, the largest crowd in Arkansas Tech men’s basketball history. There’s Humphrey. And there he is again, blocking a shot in the final second of the 2010 GSC Tournament championship game to preserve a 64-63 Wonder Boys’ victory. All of these images are preserved for posterity in the archives. It would be easy to believe they represent the most meaningful contributions that Humphrey ever made on a basketball floor. But the truth is, in terms of where his life was going, there are no photographs from Humphrey’s most important athletic moments. There were no fans cheering. There are no mentions of them in the record books. Those moments were invested playing one-on-one games with Robert, a young man with intellectual disabilities who took an interest in the Wonder Boys. Humphrey responded by taking an interest in him. “I believe that individuals with intellectual disabilities aren’t fully accepted yet,” said Humphrey, who graduated from Arkansas Tech with a Bachelor of Science degree in physical education in 2011 and a Master of Education degree in physical education in 2013. “That’s one of the reasons I pursued a role with Special Olympics. Robert and I would go to the gym, and just from him being in the gym at Arkansas Tech, that gave him the feeling that he was somebody. That he was special. It was good to see him smile, have fun and be accepted.” Those one-on-one games with Robert turned into volunteer opportunities with Special Olympics of Arkansas. Then he was asked to coach a Special Olympics basketball team. Humphrey spent more than four years as a volunteer in the system. When Special Olympics of Arkansas was looking to hire a director of sports, training and competition in fall 2014, the organization selected him for that role. “Here, the athletes feel like they are accepted,” said Humphrey while helping coordinate the 2015 Special Olympics of Arkansas Winter Games in Springdale. “They have something that is for them. It also spreads awareness about those with intellectual disabilities. Pretty much any sport that you can imagine, we offer. It gives our athletes a chance to try a lot of sports and make a lot of friends.” As part of his duties with Special Olympics, Humphrey is working to promote “Project Unify,” an initiative that allows individuals with and without intellectual disabilities to participate in athletic competitions together. Making others feel welcome and accepted is one way that Humphrey pays forward the treatment he received upon arriving at Arkansas Tech. “(Tech) feels like a family as soon as you get there,” said Humphrey. “Everyone was so welcoming. It was a tough first year with basketball, but everyone kept motivating me to do better. Those years taught me to never give up. With me being from Louisiana and being so far from home, I learned to keep going for what I want. There’s always a bright side, even when you are losing. We always practiced hard and tried to get better every day. That carried over to off the court…the importance of staying focused.” He sees those same values play out in Special Olympics. “The athletes want to win so badly, just like any other team that you see,” said Humphrey. “The competition is amazing. Before they get on the court, they are friends. But when they get on the court, it totally changes. It’s me against you. I love to see that competition aspect.” And while the athletic events are making the Special Olympians better and stronger, Humphrey knows that working in that environment is doing the same for him. “When you first see someone with an intellectual disability, it’s easy to not understand it,” said Humphrey. “As I’ve started to work with these athletes, I’m starting to understand that there’s no difference. They are people just like anyone else. Working with people like the students from Arkansas School for the Deaf…that makes me want to learn sign language. I love every minute of it. I wouldn’t trade this opportunity for the world. I can’t wait to see where it takes me.”]]>
