The Allstate NACDA Good Works Team captain led in goal, in the classroom and in the community.
Before Aidan Crawford stepped foot on Loyola Chicago’s campus as a goalkeeper, he already knew what was missing.
Crawford researched the university 25 minutes away from his hometown. One reason he chose the school was its proximity to his family — specifically, his younger sister, Katia, who has Down syndrome.
To his dismay, the Jesuit institution, based on a mission of serving others, did not have a Special Olympics program. He was undeterred, spending his first year gaining support from athletics department staff, students and advisors. By his sophomore year, Loyola Chicago had started a chapter.
Loyola Chicago’s Special Olympics program holds weekly sports practices at Misericordia Home, a nearby residential community for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. That same commitment to access and service later helped Crawford become one of two recipients of the NCAA’s Walter Byers Graduate Scholarship, one of the Association’s highest academic honors.
For Crawford, the effort matched the importance of his mission: disability justice.
Growing up, Crawford saw Katia’s limited options. While he played a new sport every season ― soccer, basketball, track and field ― his sister, only two years younger, had options limited to participation in the Special Olympics program.
“I had endless opportunities to pursue sports, and I got to pursue sports at one of the highest levels through the NCAA. There are so many people that don’t get that kind of opportunity,” Crawford said. “That is an injustice and inequity in our society. To provide opportunities, not just sporting opportunities, but just programming to other individuals with disabilities to pursue their passions, that’s just a basic human right that we owe each other.”
Crawford’s family values set the foundation of vocation for service. Loyola Chicago gave him the tools and materials to build a community.
“My family, they’ve encouraged me to pursue a life that’s in service to others,” he said. “That’s basically the mission statement of our university, so I’ve got messages all around me telling me to live my life that way.”
Encouraged by staff members at Loyola Chicago, Crawford dove into community service throughout his four years. He contributed more than 400 hours volunteering at the Endeavor Health Hospital’s hospice and oncology unit, participated in international mobile medical clinics in Guatemala and Peru, and represented the Loyola athletics department on a service trip to Guatemala focused on sport-based development for girls and young women from vulnerable backgrounds. In particular, he appreciated his time tutoring Chicago-area refugee students through Forging Opportunities for Refugees in America.
“I believe education is the great equalizer. … To be able to provide a piece of my education and my experience as a college athlete to individuals in our neighborhood in Chicago that needed it the most was a privilege.”
In May, Crawford graduated from Loyola Chicago with a degree in molecular and cellular neuroscience with a minor in bioethics. He maintained a 4.0 GPA throughout his four years. Crawford captained his team his junior and senior years, and he earned Atlantic 10 Conference Goalkeeper of the Year and first-team all-conference honors in 2023, along with an All-America Freshman Team selection from College Soccer News. In addition to his service work and academics, he also worked as a medical assistant at the Illinois Bone & Joint Institute.
This April, the NCAA awarded Crawford the Walter Byers Graduate Scholarship, which he will use to pursue a medical degree.
One of the NCAA’s highest academic honors, the scholarship annually awards $24,000 scholarships to one male and one female student-athlete who combine excellence in academics and athletics and show potential as future leaders.
“Personally, the recognition from the NCAA beyond athletics is something that Walter Byers’ legacy kind of symbolizes building the student-athlete. Those are important values to me,” he said.
“Practically, it’s a large scholarship, and going into the medical profession, (the finances are) a barrier to a lot of people. I can’t understate how much that means for my future training. Having that extra support from my time as a student-athlete, having that financial support helps me to live the kind of life that I think I’ll contribute the most to society.”
Before he goes to medical school, Crawford is spending the year in Boston, working in clinical research with Dr. Scott D. Martin, the team physician for the New England Patriots. He sees the experience as the perfect transition from athlete to physician, an interest sparked from seeing injuries throughout his soccer career.
“Being an athlete is quite an identity, especially at a young age. For young people, that’s often not only their physical health, but also their social and emotional health, as well,” Crawford said. “So to take that piece away from someone takes not only their physical health away, but all these aspects of who they are.”
When an injury sidelined Crawford for over half of his senior season, the captain couldn’t lead solely by example anymore. He suffered the pain of an identity being ripped away swiftly. He adjusted his leadership, but the experience stuck.
“That’s a reason I went into the orthopedic clinic. I could relate to patients in that way, even if they weren’t athletes. If they were someone whose identity is built around being physically active … if that’s something that’s of value to them and important to their identity, that can be taken away very quickly.
“To be a part of that process of leading those patients back to the lifestyle that they love and pride their values on is something that I really enjoy,” he said.
As a student-athlete, Crawford created access to athletics and education in spaces that are often overlooked. As a future physician, Crawford plans to expand access to healthier lives for his patients.
“Coming into Loyola, I couldn’t have done any of this without the people that are around me. Their support, but also the values that the people around me hold, have been that guiding star.”
This story is part of the NCAA’s Tomorrow’s Leaders, Today campaign, which showcases how the college sports experience helps student-athletes build the skills and character traits that contribute to lifelong success.
