About Evan

Evan Robertson Miller was diagnosed with autism early in his life. This learning disability affected his ability to communicate with the world, but Evan overcame his limitations and found a love of the water. He began swimming at an early age and quickly proved his disability would not stop him from success, inspiring athletes and friends throughout his life.

For more than ten years, he was a member of the Cumberland-Lincoln Boys and Girls Club swim team. At Lincoln High School, Evan swam on the varsity team and in his senior year, he was named co-captain of the swim team. Evan also was a member of the high school volleyball team and the high school band.

Evan was also a Special Olympian, and as a member of the Wampanoag Warriors, he played softball, football, Unified and Traditional Basketball. He also brought his love and talent for swimming to Special Olympics, specializing in the Individual Medley, which combines the swimming strokes of backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly and freestyle.  For more than a decade, Evan was undefeated at the Annual Rhode Island State Special Olympic Games, held annually at the University of Rhode Island.

Evan’s swimming took him to the National Special Olympic Games on three separate occasions. In 2006, Evan competed at Iowa State University, winning National Gold and Silver Medals in swimming. In 2010, he once again won National Gold and Silver Medals at the National Games, this time held at the University of Nebraska. And in 2014, despite suffering from tumors and undergoing chemotherapy, Evan Robertson Miller won a National Silver Medal in the 200 Individual Medley at the National Special Olympic Games at Princeton University.

In 2010, Evan Robertson Miller was named the 2010 Rhode Island Special Olympics Athlete of the Year and was selected as a Cardi’s Hometown Hero. In 2016, he was posthumously inducted into the Rhode Island Aquatic Hall of Fame. His Hall of Fame profile is displayed at the University of Rhode Island.