ATHENS, Ga. — It’s a bye week for the Georgia Bulldogs but that did not stop the coaches, players and fans from marking one competition on their calendars.
Former University of Georgia and Hall of Fame coach Mark Richt held his third annual Chick-Fil-A Dawg Bowl on Wednesday, which raises money to fight Parkinson’s and Crohn’s diseases.
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“Once I made it public knowledge I had Parkinson’s everybody wanted me to be their poster child for fundraising,” the former coach told Channel 2’s Luke Hetrick.
Both diseases impact the Richt family. Richt first revealed his Parkinson’s diagnosis in 2021. His granddaughter, Jadyn, has been battling Crohn’s since she was born.
“I thought we were going to have to go to two different places but as I found out with that connection between the two. If you solve the gut biology in Crohn’s, you might be well on your way to finding a cure for Parkinson’s,” Richt said.
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Since his diagnosis, Parkinson’s impacts Richt’s body, but not his spirit. He’s still got his bark like his days between the hedges and it’s always got his fight.
“Parkinson’s is not a death sentence by any means, so the biggest thing is to learn to enjoy the things you do and when you know you’re going in the end you have peace,” Richt said.
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