A few weeks into the NFL season, one North Texas football team is already qualified for the Super Bowl.
The Dallas Cowboys Wheelchair team is one of 11 teams in the USA Wheelchair Football League.
Many players are injured veterans and amputees.
“They come out here and just show that the wheelchair doesn't define anything. Your disability is only as disabling as you let it be,” said head coach Danny Peltier.
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Peltier was born with a disability and says he never got the chance to play league football until now.
“Getting to be a part of this as head coach now, and really being able to lead this group of guys to go across the country playing football it's huge, it’s very impactful for me personally,” said Peltier.
The game is 7-on-7 football played with pads and helmets during matchups.
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Though tackling involves tagging another player above the waist, some of the hits can knock players out of their chairs.
“It’s fun. It's a real Texas football experience,” said Peltier.
Alejandro Babon is a lineman who says players find more than just friendly competition.
“It takes people out of dark places especially after they've just been injured, and they think that it’s over. I went from walking to now I gotta be in a chair. It’s like well, it’s over. It’s not over. It’s just the beg of something different,” said Babon.
At a tournament in Buffalo, NY over the weekend, the Cowboys defeated all five teams they played including the defending champs Kansas City Chiefs.
They brought home the championship trophy and are now Super Bowl-eligible.
The USA Wheelchair Football League Super Bowl will be in February after the Super Bowl.
The Cowboys team is sponsored primarily through RISE Adaptive Sports.
