Lt. Gov. Brian Calley and former MSU basketball player Anthony Ianni discuss the Autism Alliance of Michigan’s anti-bullying initiative Oct. 17, 2013, at the Capitol building. Ianni will speak to middle schools across the state in hopes of ending bullying. Julia Nagy/The State News
—During his time as an MSU basketball walk-on, Anthony Ianni won two Big Ten Championships, a Big Ten Tournament Championship and went to a Final Four.
He also was the first person with autism to play college basketball. After overcoming his obstacles, Ianni hopes to help other autistic children leap over theirs.
Ianni, along with Michigan Lt. Gov. Brian Calley, spoke at the state Capitol building Thursday, introducing Ianni’s new campaign against anti-autism bullying.
At age four, Ianni was diagnosed with Pervasive Developmental Disorder, a form of autism that affects the development of many basic skills. He said he was told by doctors he never was going to be successful, comments that later became motivation to him.
“I worked very hard at what I did and had great support from friends, the community, East Lansing, Okemos, my teachers and more importantly, my family,” Ianni said.
Determined to share his story, Ianni started The Relentless Tour through the Autism Alliance of Michigan. The goal of the tour is to speak to all 659 middle schools in the state and share his anti-bullying message to kids with and without disabilities. He spoke to more than 10,000 kids during his first year as a speaker.
“My goal as a speaker is to not just make an impact on people,” Ianni said. “It’s to leave an impact everywhere I go. I want to leave a huge impact on the entire state of Michigan.”
While attending MSU, he said the support he received from Student-Athlete Support Services, along with the Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities, was crucial. He mentioned the support from other MSU coaches was tremendous as well, especially from MSU basketball head coach Tom Izzo, who is helping with the campaign.
Calley’s daughter was diagnosed with autism at age three, and he said at that time, it was difficult to get information that didn’t downplay her potential. He said he hopes the tour will not only give both adults and kids a better understanding.
“Making an effort to get kids’ invested interest is what this is about,” Calley said.
Ianni said he wants middle schoolers to take away his message of not giving up on anything in life. He tells them his three keys to success are motivation, hard work and support, and that there is hope and inspiration everywhere they go.
“I want kids to be able to live their dreams, no matter what,” Ianni said. “If they have a challenge or obstacle, (I want them to know) they can overcome that and be successful in life.”
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