SPORTS ‘N SPOKES at 50: Celebrating Cliff Crase’s Legacy in Adaptive Sports
I saw my first issue of SPORTS ’N SPOKES (S’NS) in July 1991.
At that time, I was only two months into a new gig as a quadriplegic, and I was intrigued to learn there were teams of wheelchair basketball players. It was the first time I thought there could be something cool and entertaining about being in a wheelchair.
Initially, after being told my broken neck would result in permanent paralysis, moments of hope were few and far between, but I found the adaptive sports thing reinvigorating. I thought to myself, “This might be my path towards reinvention.”
However, I’m assuming my story is similar to that of most S’NS subscribers, so I won’t continue. Instead, I want to talk about S’NS and the man who created it.
Born in 1938, Cliff Crase grew up in a small town in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula called Rockland. After graduating as valedictorian from Roger Clark High School, Cliff went into the Air Force as a navigator, serving in North Africa. While on duty in Minnesota in 1959, Cliff was in a car accident, injuring his neck, which resulted in quadriplegia. Only 20 years old at the time of his injury, Cliff knew he had plenty of time to do something big.
Following his hospital discharge, Cliff enrolled at the University of Illinois, where he also pursued his athletic endeavors. After graduation, Cliff excelled in several sports thanks to his athleticism.
In just a few years, Cliff amassed 32 international medals, including 10 gold, and was selected as the Outstanding Athlete at the 1967 Paraplegic Games (part of that year’s Pan Am Games and now known as the Parapan American Games) in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Perhaps Cliff’s greatest athletic achievement was holding a breaststroke world record from 1967 to 1969.
Even after his career as a competitive athlete was over, Cliff maintained his involvement in adaptive sports. He received many honors — too many to list here — and was inducted into several adaptive sports halls of fame. Moreover, his gregarious personality elevated him to be an unofficial spokesperson for adaptive sports.
Cliff had a knack for advocacy and publicity, and he was recruited to provide public relations for Team USA during the 1976 Paralympic Games in Toronto. After all, this was the first time the Games were televised daily, which was a major achievement for the Paralympic Movement, and Cliff never missed an opportunity to promote adaptive sports — to which he attributed his own reinvention.
Cliff went on to work for Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) as the organization’s national sports coordinator. He also served on the executive committee for the National Wheelchair Athletic Association and remained a leader in adaptive sports at local, regional and national levels.
However, the greatest and lasting impact he had on adaptive sports was in 1975 when he launched S’NS. Even though he began generating content for this much-needed magazine from a spare bedroom in his home in Phoenix, S’NS went on to become a prominent international publication that gave a voice to the successes and talents of para athletes around the world.
Cliff’s charming personality, athletic accomplishments and commitment to improving the lives of people with disabilities through sports put him at the pinnacle of the disability rights movement.
In 1981, Cliff sold S’NS to PVA, but he remained as the magazine’s editor for another 25 years. However, soon after Cliff received a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, he chose to return to his hometown of Rockland, where he passed away Aug. 15, 2007.
Cliff’s impact is something to be marveled. Considering the humble beginnings for S’NS, I’m sure Cliff would be thrilled to know that his legacy is still in print a half-century later with thousands of subscribers throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and Africa. S’NS has become a great resource for athletes all over the world.
Since 1975, S’NS has provided the most relevant news possible relating to wheelchair sports and recreation, and as a result, we‘ve archived thousands of articles and photographs.
Since this is the first issue for 2025, I thought I’d take this opportunity to announce our intentions to celebrate the 50th anniversary of S’NS and honor Cliff’s legacy.
As always, S’NS will continue to provide you with the best content possible, but with a twist. Throughout the year, we’ll be taking a look back at some of your favorite stories over the past five decades, both in print and online. Additionally, each issue will include reprinting some of Cliff’s op-eds in Classic Cliff and key parts of the magazine’s history in S’NS Replay.
Please let me know your favorite memories of Cliff and S’NS at al@pvamag.com.