USF Athletics

USF Welcomes Courageous 10-Year-Old Teammate to Bulls Family

August 22, 2018

By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer

TAMPA, AUG. 22, 2018 – USF men's soccer held a special preseason press conference Tuesday evening to welcome a new Bull who will serve as a true inspiration for 2018 and beyond.

Bay Area news cameras captured the magic at the Yuengling Center's Fifth Third Bank Arena Club as head coach Bob Butehorn announced the addition of courageous 10-year-old Mario Duran. Butehorn's Bulls partnered with Team IMPACT to sign the Zephyrhills, Fla., native nicknamed "JuJu," who battles a rare form of mouth cancer called sinonasal undifferentiated carcinoma.

"I have conversations with my team all the time about dealing with adversity and understanding what you have. Mario just embraces everything he has and our kids are feeding off that," Butehorn said. "This kid is No. 1 a special kid, but No. 2 he doesn't see himself as a special kid. He sees himself as a kid with something I've got to deal with and I'm just going to enjoy my life."

Mario certainly enjoyed sitting at the press conference table with Butehorn and his family during an event that continued USF's strong relationship with Team IMPACT, a non-profit organization headquartered in Quincy, Mass.

"Are you excited to be a part of our family?" Butehorn asked Mario.

"Yeah," Mario replied.

"This is going to seal it. Team IMPACT, you, us. Big Bulls, all these guys," Butehorn said, gesturing to the entire men's soccer team.

Once the official letter of intent was signed, Mario addressed the crowd that included the entire USF men's soccer squad.

"I want to say thank you for letting me be a part of your team," Mario said. "I'm glad that I am part of the men's soccer team for the Bulls."

Now that he's an official member of the team, Mario is welcome to attend practices, games, team dinners, bonding events and anything else that involves the program. Mario was diagnosed in 2016 with sinonasal undifferentiated carcinoma, a rare cancer of the nasal cavity and/or paranasal sinuses, but Butehorn said he's simply thinks of him as a brave boy who will be a great addition to the Bulls.

"It's fun to have him," Butehorn said. "We just see him as a teammate."

More About Team IMPACT
Team IMPACT connects children facing serious and chronic illnesses with local college athletic programs across the country.

The national nonprofit selects children ages 5-16 and pairs them with college programs located close to where the child is being treated. That allows the family to conveniently get to campus in addition to student-athletes getting to do fun off-campus activities with the child.

It is typical for each relationship to last two to three years, but as each child is different, the timing of graduation varies for each relationship. Learn more about Team IMPACT and read amazing family testimonials at the organization's official website GoTeamIMPACT.org
 
About USF Men's Soccer
The Bulls concluded the 2017 regular season with a 6-6-4 overall record and finished fifth in the American Athletic Conference with a 3-2-2 mark. Head Coach Bob Butehorn leads the Bulls in his second season at the helm in 2018. 
 
Follow the men's soccer team on social media (Twitter| Facebook| Instagram) and visit GoUSFBulls.com for the most up-to-date information.