Georgia Tech alumnus Mark Zupan stars in "Murderball," a documentary film about quadriplegic wheelchair rugby that has electrified audiences since its release in July.

The film follows the top-seeded U.S. team's quest to win the gold medal at the 2002 world championships in Sweden and the players' frustrations with negative misconceptions and stereotypes.

Played on an indoor basketball court, "quads," as they like to be called, are strapped into specially made wheelchairs and crash into opponents at breakneck speed if necessary to keep the ball carrier from crossing the goal line.

Zupan, CE 99, a scholarship soccer player at Florida Atlantic University, was paralyzed in a 1993 auto accident. After a year and a half of rehabilitation, he transferred to Georgia Tech and began playing quad rugby at the Shepherd Spinal Center in Atlanta.

A ferocious competitor, Zupan joined the U.S. Quad Rugby Association's Atlanta team and later the Texas Stampede in Austin. He quickly established himself as one of the premiere players in the league, winning four most valuable player awards and selection to play on the U.S. team that won the bronze medal in the Athens Paralympics.

Zupan said he doesn't feel like a movie star, but he has rubbed shoulders with Hollywood celebrities and appeared on television several times, has his own ad for Reebok shoes and has been recognized in airports.

"I'm just grateful that the movie is answering questions that people won't ask," Zupan said. "It's a big misconception that people in chairs can't do anything."

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