Austin Childers has inspired thousands with his powerful testimony of God’ grace in times of adversity.
Few have known adversity like Austin, a 2009 FPD graduate. He has battled mitochondrial disease for years, enduring 45 surgeries and spending most of his days in medical facilities. Through it all, Austin has maintained a positive outlook, and is quick to point others to Christ even in the midst of his overwhelmingly difficult situation.
On Friday, Aug. 30, FPD will dedicate the football field to Austin, who never played a down for the Vikings due to his condition, yet served as team captain his senior year and is regarded as a hero by many in the FPD community.
“Austin teaches all of us, daily, about things like passion, perseverance, priorities, and why relationships with people are ultimately all that matters,” athletic director Greg Moore said. “These are the types of qualities we want FPD’s student-athletes, and all of our school family, for that matter, to exhibit. The name Austin Childers is synonymous with those qualities and so much more. And because of that, we want people to see the name Austin Childers and think of what it means to be passionate, to persevere, to prioritize things in your life, and to value people and relationships. We want our student-athletes to see the name Austin Childers and understand that what they are doing in sports is a gift, a privilege, and they should honor that privilege by the way they play the game with passion and perseverance.”
Moore is asking all FPD fans to arrive at Friday’s home opener against George Walton early. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m., but the pre-game ceremony honoring Austin will begin at 6:55 p.m. Former Alabama and Georgia Tech head coach Bill Curry will be the featured speaker, and the new scoreboard with the words Austin Childers Field will be unveiled at this time.
Also on Friday, the new home side bleachers will debut. The sparkling 1,000-seat stands occupy what was formerly the visitor’s side of George S. Johnson Stadium. Access to the stadium for home fans will be on the Calvin Drive entrance of the facility.
Advance tickets are available at the school this week for $5. Admission will be $7 at the gate. Contact the school at 477-6505 for additional information. Also, check out our sports website page devoted to Austin at http://www.fpdvikings.com/austin-childers-field/