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The “Extraordinary Cats� football camp, started by Arizona defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales, is an all-ages camp for people with mental and physical disabilities.

Around 40 people, from kids to young adults, attended the camp at the Cole and Jeannie Davis Sports Center Wednesday night and a majority of the UA football players helped campers in the drills.

The camp consisted of kicking and throwing drills and a relay race. Campers ended the night by taking turns running at a stand-up pad and diving on a cushioned pad. Each camper had a swarm of football players nearby for encouraging words and praise. Campers also wore white T-shirts with “I Am Extraordinary� emblazoned on the back.

“I think it’s just the experience of being around some young people that have it much more difficult than they do and having a respect and appreciation for that, how blessed they are, and what they can do with their platform and how much joy they can bring to somebody else by just being involved in their life,� said Arizona head coach Brent Brennan.

The inspiration for Extraordinary Cats came more than 11 years ago, when Gonzales and his wife, Sandra, had their daughter, Abby, who has Down Syndrome. The Gonzales family noticed the father-son tandem of NFL stars Ed McCaffrey and Christian McCaffrey holding camps for kids with special needs.

Sandra Gonzales wanted to do the football camp, so Danny Gonzales, who was an assistant at San Diego State, made a deal with her and said, “’I’ll tell you what, if I ever become a head coach, we’ll do a camp.’�

When Gonzales became the head coach at New Mexico in 2020, they couldn’t do the camp due to pandemic-related concerns. Eventually, Gonzales held the camp at New Mexico and called it “Extraordinary Lobos.�

“We started this thing for people with disabilities and then I thought, well, it’s different abilities,� Gonzales said. “I’m good at certain things and there’s other things that I’m not good at. Everyone has different abilities and they’re extraordinary. They’re extraordinary people. We’re going to keep this tradition and hopefully long after we’re gone, they’ll continue it. It’s an amazing event and it’s just as good for the kids as it is the individuals.�

Added Gonzales: “We’re big on inclusion. I promise you, our football players today learned more today than the kids out here with disabilities. Not just kids, there were adults with disabilities out here, which is what we want. It’s an opportunity for them to come out and have some fun with our football players.�

Abby Gonzales’ favorite part of the camp? “The races.�

Malachi Avila, a 19-year-old Cholla High School alum, was one of the standout campers on Wednesday. Avila attended a similar camp during Super Bowl weekend in Glendale two years ago.

“He has never been able to play football, so this is a good opportunity for him,� said Estella Avila, Malachi’s mother. “I think this is great. I love him being at the U of A and being around some big, burly football players. He loves football, and it’s so inspiring and it’s wonderful to include everybody.�

Malachi Avila competes in Special Olympics events and plays basketball, soccer, baseball, swimming and track. Every Saturday, “he’s out there playing ball� at Tucson Field of Dreams on Kino Parkway, said Estella Avila, who sparked her son’s passion for sports growing up.

“I grew up in Michigan and I’ve always been outdoors,� she said. “I raised him by myself and I used to throw a football with him, throw a baseball with him and a frisbee and always kept him active and keep him moving.�

Some campers already had pre-existing relationships with the UA football team, like 10-year-old Keoni Medlock, who is on the spectrum of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) and autism. Medlock was born at Tucson Medical Center and was adopted by his parents, Phil and Benjie Medlock, at 4 months old. After he was in an emergency foster home, Keoni Medlock — named “Baby K� in the foster care system — became a part of the Medlock family as a baby.

“I remember coming home and telling my husband, ‘He was born for me. He’s going to be mine,’� said Benjie Medlock, who named her son Keoni (Hawaiian for John) after her father. “And he became mine.�

Benjie Medlock grew up in Oahu, Hawaii, and has connected with several of Arizona’s Polynesian football players over the years. Every few months, the Medlock family will “invite them over to come and eat,� she said.

“They’re always super amazing with (Keoni Medlock) and super patient,� said Benjie Medlock.

Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita and wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan were among the contingent of players who visited the Medlock household for meals and gatherings. Benjie Medlock said Keoni Medlock “really loves T-Mac,� who was drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft by the Carolina Panthers.

“They were never super close, but one time when he did come over, T-Mac gave him some attention and he loved it,� she added.

Keoni Medlock attended a traditional youth camp at Arizona last year, but felt discouraged when he looked at other campers.

“He said, ‘I don’t belong,’� Benjie Medlock said.

When Mama Medlock discovered Extraordinary Cats, “I literally cried,� she said.

“Arizona is literally the best school ever because of this,� she added. “I think this is wonderful. I want to bake cookies for (Danny Gonzales) and his wife forever.�

Another familiar face at the Extraordinary Cats camp was 8-year-old Braxton Larowe, who has been with the UA football program the last two seasons. Larowe was part of Team IMPACT, a national program that pairs kids with disabilities or an illness with college and professional teams.

Larowe, a Marana native, was matched with the UA football team and attended practices and games, including the Wildcats’ win at the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio during the 2023 season. Since it’s a two-year program, Larowe graduated from Team IMPACT and is now considered a UA football alumnus and will receive invitations to UA football-related events. The connection with the football “has been amazing,� said Kristin Larowe, Braxton’s mother.

“We’ve seen a huge impact with him and a huge change with him,� Larowe said. “When he first started, you could barely get him to talk and you could barely understand him, but he talks and they completely understand him. Their bond with him is something he’ll never let go of. He talks about them all the time and those are his boys. Any time something is wrong, he just wants to go see them. He’ll always be a part of their lives.�

The UA football players were excused from mandatory team obligations, but nearly the entire team “all chose to be here, which is heartwarming to me, because they knew how much this camp meant to me,� Gonzales said.

“The fact that they gave up their time to do this is awesome,� Gonzales said. “This was not mandatory. They all showed up, which is really cool.�

Extraordinary Cats “is a wonderful event, celebrating a bunch of kids,� Brennan said. The Wildcats are aiming to make the camp an annual tradition.

“The joy on their faces and the joy on our players’ faces was incredible to watch and it was incredible to be a part of it,� said Brennan. “I’m hoping it’ll grow every year. ... Our players were so wonderful working with the athletes competing in the obstacle course. When you see the joy on their faces and how much fun they were having, it made for a really special day.�