By Anthony Caruso III | Publisher
There will be at least five Michigan Wolverines players, who will have orange hair in the Outback Bowl. There may be more in the coming days, who dye their hair before the game with the South Carolina Gamecocks, for a good cause.
There is a reason behind their statement. It has been led by Chase Winovich, a defensive lineman, to help raise money for the ChadTough Foundation.
Merry Christmas everyone. What an incredible present honoring our angel!
Over 125k raised and still climbing. So proud to be a Wolverine!! Go Blue (and can't wait to see them go orange) https://t.co/mLGx1C28Ff pic.twitter.com/PGsueSztHX
— ChadTough Defeat DIPG Foundation (@chadtough) December 25, 2017
Winovich challenged his teammates and the entire country by creating a crowdrise fundraising effort. His initial goal was $15,000 to dye his hair orange.
They reached the $15,000 goal in the first 13 hours, according to the crowdrise page. Teammates Grant Newsome, Mo Hurst, Devin Bush and honorary teammate Larry Prout Jr., the page says, will dye their hair, as well.
In just five days since posting the video, it as raised $128,755, surpassing its $125,000 goal. With the $125,000 goal, Winovich says defensive coordinator Don Brown would dye his mustache for the $125,000 goal.
“I came up with the idea a couple months ago, actually,” said Winovich. “I was thinking, ‘How could I help a charity? What unique talents do I have that could bring people together?’ The one thing I really had that a lot of people don’t have is the long hair. It’s very noticeable, it’s very divisive – people love it and there’s some people that don’t like it. It’s a hot topic.”
The ChadTough Foundation was started after Chad Carr was diagnosed with Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG) in 2015. Lloyd Carr, legendary Michigan head coach, and his family lost Chad on November 23rd, 2015.
“The legacy that the Carr family has with Michigan and their mission with ChadTough really resonated with me,” said Winovich. “It was just so heartfelt to see this young kid and the struggles he went through. It really pulled on my heartstrings. From day one, it inspired me to be a better football player and a better person.
“I always knew if there was any chance I had to give back and help out with that, I would do it.”
