He’s Got the Whole Team in His Hands

They were a strong, wondrously gifted college soccer team.

He was a 16-year-old boy with Down syndrome.

They arrived in Richmond, Va., last week on a mission.

He met them breathlessly at the airport, wanting only to be one of the gang.

They earnestly boarded their bus to the hotel.

He joyfully boarded behind them, announced he was going to be their host, and sat down next to the coach.

At this point, many would have rejected the likes of Will Daniel.

UCLA’s men’s soccer team embraced him.

For the next four days, as the Bruins competed in the NCAA final four tournament, Will was one of the gang. They joked with him, sang songs for him, even practiced with him.

In a quiet room on the eve of Sunday’s national title game, they looked at each other and realized, they also had been inspired by him.

You might have noticed that UCLA won that championship with a 2-0 decision over Virginia.

What you didn’t see was that Will won too.

He was carried on their shoulders. He was brought to the awards podium. He was given a championship T-shirt. Shea Travis, a sophomore forward, even gave him his championship watch.

All this, and they will likely never see him again.

All this, and they never even knew his last name.

Pat Daniel watched the UCLA boys with her boy, and openly wept.

“This team, they are champions of a field much larger than a soccer field,” she said.

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They had advanced to the final four with a one-goal comeback victory over Clemson in the mud.

They arrived with three of their starters sidelined with injuries.

Their semifinal opponent was top-ranked and undefeated Indiana.

Then the UCLA soccer team saw Will.

“He came running up to us at the airport--he was so happy to meet us--it was really neat,” senior Jimmy Conrad said. “I think it made us remember, right away, how lucky we were.”

Pat Daniel, who works in the Richmond social services department, was the team’s official NCAA volunteer host. She was charged with guiding them around town and through the weekend.

“And when you get me, you get Will,” she said of the younger of her two children.

She had taken Will with her to the airport that first night. Will was so excited, Coach Sigi Schmid immediately ordered a manager to fit him with a UCLA cap.

“Then they took the cap and scrunched it up to make sure it looked like a real player’s cap,” she said.

But when he wanted to board the bus, his mother initially said no. She did not want him to become a distraction.

She let Schmid talk her out of that decision.

“We could all see how happy he was to be with us,” Schmid said. “What would it hurt?”

After they arrived at the hotel, Will finished introducing himself to all the players. The next time they saw him was on the field Friday before their semifinal game against Indiana.

“All the players started shouting to him, recognizing him,” Pat said. “It was really something.”

Will ran behind the goal and, with the ball boys, retrieved UCLA practice kicks. He then sat in the stands with his mother and cheered wildly while UCLA won, 1-0, in a third overtime period.

The next day, Will officially became a Bruin.

He showed up at the start of their practice and was invited to lead the team as it jogged around the field.

Later he was given a practice jersey and joined in a game of soccer handball.

The UCLA players, in keeping with soccer tradition, love to sing. After practice, Will sang with them, even adding his own verse to one song.

The players were so impressed, to the tune of “He’s Got The Whole World In His Hands,” they sang, “We have Will on our team.”

“Boy,” Will said, “I really like you guys.”

That night, less than 24 hours before the championship game, Schmid talked about what the players were feeling.

“As I was giving my speech, Will came to mind and I mentioned how he was an example of what you see is what you get,” he recalled. “There was no hidden agenda with him, no con man, no BS.

“I told my players, ‘That’s how you have to be with each other on the field tomorrow. Be completely honest with your effort.’ ”

Now, it was the players who were moved to tears.

“His theme was love and kindness,” Conrad said. “It really hit home.”

The next day, they hung together through a difficult beginning to score twice in the final 12 minutes for the victory. Then it was Will’s turn.

After hugging Will and carrying him and singing about him again, the team asked him to join them during the awards ceremony.

Paul Krumpe even grabbed his hand and brought Will to the podium as the assistant coach received his watch.

“I wish I could get one of those,” Will said.

Shea Travis heard this, and gave him his.

“I figure I will always have this memory,” Travis said. “I wanted Will to have the watch.”

On Monday afternoon from Richmond, Will came to the phone and said, “Those guys are so sweet. So sweet.”

He handed the receiver to his mother.

“On Wednesday, I didn’t know these UCLA kids from Adam,” she said. “By Sunday, I wanted to hug everyone and make the moment last forever.”

For at least that long, the NCAA championship watch will sit prominently on Will Daniels’ dresser.

His mother will not let him wear it.

“Some things are too valuable,” she said.