He’s known as dad to three and “coach” to a lucky group of San Francisco Bay Area youth. Darrin Uecker is the guy you want as your neighbor, your friend and as your child’s coach. For a group of about 50 kids with special needs and their families, he is just that.Darrin has formed a never before Challenger League team in Hillsborough, California and then established an AYSO VIP soccer team and after the kids on his teams asked, “What’s next coach?” he started a basketball team on his own with the help of Nothing But Hoops , who offered their indoor facility to Darrin and his team. “I grew up playing sports, so I decided to look around to see what my son could play,” said Darrin.

August, Darrin’s son who is 11, has autism and is the inspiration behind Darrin’s quest to provide sports opportunities for kids of all abilities. “It’s awesome to see the kids on the field and play in an environment which is not stressful andwhere there’s no pressure,” recalls Darrin.“It’s just the greatest thing!” We agree. There is something magical that happens on the field. The day we went to watch Darrin’s team, the Rays, the kids were having a blast and the parents were just as engaged, participating either on the field or as active cheerleaders. Darrin believes the uniforms play a big part in the magic. “They all get a uniform, which they love because they show up and all their buddies are wearing the same uniform and it unites them as a team.”