Player-Turned-Coach Joe Delagrave Led A New Era Of U.S. Wheelchair Rugby To World Silver Medal
...
0
GOLD
3
SILVER
0
BRONZE
Read moreRead less
Height
5'7"
Age
43
Hometown
East Moriches, NY
Education
University of Miami
Classification: 1.0
Quick Facts
- Inspired to play wheelchair rugby after watching the documentary, “Murderball,” with his family
Dad, Tom Fredette, was a New York City firefighter for 30-plus years
- Two brothers, Jason and Robert, also members of the FDNY
Biographical Information
Lee Fredette grew up in East Moriches, New York, and played a variety of sports, including focusing on wrestling in high school. During a visit home from college during his freshman year, Fredette fractured his neck as the result of a dirt bike accident.
A few years after his accident, he and his parents watched the documentary, "Murderball," which chronicled the U.S. wheelchair rugby team’s journey to the Paralympics Athens 2004. Fredette noted "Wheelchair rugby saved my life and gave me back that athlete identity that I’d felt like I’d lost after my accident. … It made me want to get going again.”
Fredette transferred to the University of Miami to finish his college degree and joined the South Florida Rattlers, the local wheelchair rugby team. As a person with quadriplegia, Fredette joined the developmental team as a low-pointer (an athlete who typically set screens and blocks in wheelchair rugby while catching an occasional outlet pass).
A few years after graduating from college, Fredette was added to the U.S. wheelchair rugby team before the Paralympic Games Rio 2016. Since making his Paralympic debut at Rio, Fredette has won three consecutive Paralympic silver medals.
Off the court, Fredette spends time with his family in East Moriches, New York, and runs the Peconic Paddler, a canoe, kayak and paddle board rental business that he owns with his dad and brothers.
Paralympic Experience
- 3-time Paralympian; 3-time Paralympic medalist (3 silver)
- Paralympic Games Paris 2024, silver (Team - Mixed)
- Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020, silver (Team - Mixed)
- Paralympic Games Rio de Janeiro 2016, silver (Team - Mixed)
World Championships Experience
- Most recent: 2022 – silver (Team - Mixed)
- Years of participation: Team - Mixed 2018, 2022
- Medals: 2 (1 silver, 1 bronze)
- Silver – 2022 (Team - Mixed)
- Bronze – 2018 (Team - Mixed)
The Foundation They Built: How Team USA Wheelchair Rugby Is Evolving Its Legacy — And Its Competitive Edge — To LA28
When Joe Delagrave first rolled into a wheelchair rugby practice nearly two decades ago, he wasn't just learning a new sport. He was learning a new way to live.The Minnesota native had recently sustained a spinal cord injury and arrived without knowing...
When The World First Watched: Bryan Kirkland And The Birth Of Paralympic Wheelchair Rugby
Bryan Kirkland had always been an athlete. Growing up in Alabama, he was the kind of competitor who couldn’t stay away from a field or a court. Football, basketball, track — if there was a game, he played it. And if it were a contact sport, he thrived ...
Team USA Wheelchair Rugby Defeated by Japan in Gold Medal Contest, Wins Third Consecutive Paralympics Silver Medal
PARIS – It wasn’t the fairy tale ending that they had envisioned.Team USA wheelchair rugby bowed to an opportunistic Japanese team in the gold medal contest, 48-41, on Monday night at the Champs-de-Mars Arena. Despite the painful defeat, the U.S. perfo...
Team USA Wheelchair Rugby Dethrones Great Britain, 50-43, Advancing To Battle For Elusive Gold
PARIS – Double teamed and banged around by aggressive British opponents, Chuck Aoki remained poised, delivering a perfectly timed and well-executed pass downcourt to his streaking teammate Sarah Adam, who cruised home for a pivotal try. It was a dagger...
Fast-Rising Teen Zion Redington Is Ready To Make An Impact As U.S. Wheelchair Rugby Team Aims For Gold In Paris
The 18-year-old helped the U.S. win gold at the 2023 Parapan American Games, which secured the team’s spot in Paris.
