Mike Whitehead

Before his spinal cord injury, Mike Whitehead was an avid multi-sport athlete who enjoyed basketball, volleyball, hockey, soccer, and badminton. He was introduced to wheelchair rugby when his future teammates, including David Willsie, came to visit him at the Parkwood Rehabilitation Hospital in London, Ontario. He quickly became hooked on the contact and the level of competition and made the national team, just one year after his injury.

He has been a mainstay on Team Canada competing in the last five Paralympic Games (2 silvers & 1 bronze), six World Championships (1 gold, 1 silver & 2 bronze) and two Parapan Am Games (1 gold, 1 silver). He has taken on a mentorship role with his younger teammates in recent years, by sharing his experiences and knowledge of the sport.

Whitehead has also started coaching. He coached Canada’s wheelchair rugby team at the Toronto Invictus Games and at the 2021 Low-Point Tournament in Switzerland. He is an accomplished public speaker having presented at the notable TEDxBeaconStreet event in Boston.

At the 2019 Parapan American Games where Canada won silver, he was ranked among the top-10 in the tournament in steals.