Community celebrates new NATC graduate’s influential run in school, on field

NOVI — On June 2, a large audience filled the Novi Middle School auditorium to witness the graduation of Robby Heil, a young man with Down syndrome, from the Novi Adult Transition Center program.

Heil, 26, was the only graduate this year and has become somewhat of a legend in the community. In 2016, Heil made headlines after scoring a touchdown during a Novi High School football game. Then-NHS football coach Jeff Burnside had worked out a play with the opposing South Lyon team to allow Heil, the team’s longtime hydration manager to achieve his dream in front of his mom, who was dying of cancer, along with other family members. The play did not count for points in the game, but it scored points in the hearts of his family, the local community and beyond as the footage of it went viral.

Burnside said that he had no intention for the moment to go viral. He was simply acting on his theory as a coach that while not every kid gets to play in every game, during their senior year, every kid should get to play in at least one game.

“He was part of the team and I wanted to make sure he had a good senior year and he had a chance to start and play as well,” Burnside said. “It wasn’t anything more than just that. It wasn’t my intention to even call the news.”

Burnside said he is not sure he understood the impact of that moment then or that he will ever fully understand it. However, he was recently told by a friend who is high up in the Special Olympics that as a result of Robby Heil’s story, there are now more than 600 schools in the state of Michigan that have unified sports programs.

“It started to hit me then how big of a moment that was then, because unified programs weren’t really a thing then, and now it’s all over the state and not just Michigan, but the Midwest. But I don’t think I ever got a full grasp of how big it was in the moment,” said Burnside, who is now the assistant principal at Livonia Churchill High School.

According to guest speaker Justin Rose, the former WXYZ sportscaster who broke the story, it was a moment that he continues to cherish “each and every day.”

“Quite honestly, it’s one of those sports reporter dream moments,” Rose said.

Rose said that he has developed a friendship with Heil over the years and thinks of him as a little brother. He said he appreciates what the Novi Community School District does with unified sports to make sure that kids understand that although some people may look and act differently, they are all the same.

“They face the same struggles that we all do, and they just look at life through a different lens, and I think that Robby is such a standout individual in showing that you can accomplish anything that you put your mind to and do it with joy,” Rose said. “That’s basically what he does. He’s just changed the lives of so many people, whether they know him personally or not.”

During the commencement ceremony, not only was Heil given his certificate of completion, but Burnside presented him with a framed NHS football jersey with his name on it. He was also given a large bag of football-shaped stress balls to throw to the audience to commemorate his touchdown moment as he completes his years as a student in the Novi Community School District.

However, it is not only his famous touchdown that he is known for. He is also a “movie star.” He was featured in “Chromosomally Enhanced: What’s Your Superpower,” a 2022 documentary on Down’s Syndrome by filmmaker Keith Famie.

“My takeaway from Robby is that everyone I know just smiles when he is mentioned,” said Brad Therrian, Novi special education teacher.

Superintendent Ben Mainka said that the larger-than-usual NATC ceremony is a testament to the impact Heil has had on the community.

“Whether it’s one student or 10 students that graduate from this program, it is a vital part of this community,” Mainka said.

Heil plans to continue to have a role with NCSD, as well as to continue volunteering at St. James Catholic Church in Novi.

“I feel great and I look forward to the future,” Heil told the Novi Note.