Georgia ‘Family’ Remembers Abbott, Tees Off For Charity
July 10, 2023 | Football, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
STATHAM, Ga. — Moments after all of the golfers in Monday afternoon's 19th Bulldogs Battling Breast Cancer charity golf tournament were set loose on the Georgia Club's course, Teresa Abbott sat down and exhaled.
This was a day of highs and lows for the Abbott family. The main high was yet another sold-out tournament, which will mean a lot of money donated to the St. Mary's Foundation, for its breast health imaging program. Teresa's husband, Jay, said they donated $250,000 last year, the most they've ever raised in one year, and they're getting close to the $2 million mark in total donations since Jay and Teresa started the charity in 2004.
"This has taken on a life of its own," Teresa said of the tournament that requires year-round work — finding sponsors, coordinating volunteers and dozens more details big and small — to pull off successfully. "We did it the first year never imagining that this is what it would become. ... People just kept calling and saying, 'You're doing this again next year, right?' Well, I guess we are."
Another high was seeing the many Georgia football players there to play, from little-known walk-ons to veterans starters like center Sedrick Van Pran and defensive lineman Nazir Stackhouse. Back in 2002, the Teresa and Jay's son, Chris, was a freshman walk-on offensive lineman. He eventually worked his way up the depth chart and was a letterman in 2006.
The Bulldogs Battling Breast Cancer (BBBC) event wouldn't be what it is without its connection to the Georgia football program, which came from Chris, then-coach Mark Richt, who got behind the event from the outset after Jay presented him with the idea, and the whole Bulldog family.
"That's what it is, it's a family," Teresa said.
"We can't do it without the UGA football players that are all here," Jay said.
In February, the Abbott and Bulldog family suffered a tragic loss when Chris, a month before his 40th birthday, died from complications during liver surgery. A banner honoring Chris hung above the door as all of the participants went into register in the club's ballroom.
"It's a joyous day," Jay said, "but it's a somber day as well."
"Chris was bigger than life and loved life," Teresa said. "It was difficult (today), but at the same time, it's good to celebrate him."
Michael Abbott, Chris' brother, said one of the things Chris was most proud of in his life was being a Georgia football player.
"He really enjoyed it, he talked about it all the time, and even now, when you're a Georgia football player, you're a Georgia football player for life," Michael told the participants before play began.
Chris' arrival at Georgia happened a year before Teresa was diagnosed with stage 3 Breast Cancer in 2003. After she went through 18 months of very difficult treatment, she was given a clean bill of health. And she's still healthy and well all these years later.
After Teresa completed her treatment, she and Jay decided to join the fight against a disease that affects women and families everywhere. The Abbotts decided to raise some money with a golf tournament, initially to support the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, and the BBBC event was born.
What makes this tournament unique is the format. Instead of four-person teams entering the event together, it's three-person teams, with a Georgia football player being the fourth member of each group.
"I've coached college football since 2000, so that's 23 years, and I have never seen this many players at a function like this," special teams coordinator Scott Cochran said during his pre-round remarks to the participants.
In the first BBBC tournament, at the UGA Golf Course, Jay, an avid golfer, tried to join the fun and play with everyone else. He quickly realized that he was needed elsewhere.
"I was a nervous wreck. I was calling back to the clubhouse, I was texting my wife — I was just so nervous that things were not going to go right," he said, laughing. "After that, I said I'm going to resign myself to not playing."
Before Monday's round began, the football players were joking with each other, posing for pictures and chatting with the other participants, and then, for many of them, like the 6-foot-3 and 320-pound Stackhouse, squeezing themselves into their golf carts.
Some Bulldogs had the smooth, fluid swings of golfers. Others had more clunky swings that might produce a 300-yard drive or a divot six inches behind the ball. A "Happy Gilmore" run-up swing was even spotted on the driving range. Like the players themselves, their swings came in all shapes and sizes.
All of them were wearing white wristbands with "BCA" written on them. That was in honor of Bryan Chris Abbott, who during his playing days would wear a white wristband with either his mom's initials or those of a family friend also battling breast cancer.
"Michael came up with this great idea to do this in his honor," Jay said.
The scores didn't matter Monday. Whether your drive went down the middle of the fairway or sailed left or right, never to be seen again, that didn't matter either.
This event since its inception, and this year in particular, has always been about family, friends and teammates. Savoring time with those you're with, raising money to help fight a disease that affects nearly everyone, and remembering those that have left us far too soon.
Staff Writer
STATHAM, Ga. — Moments after all of the golfers in Monday afternoon's 19th Bulldogs Battling Breast Cancer charity golf tournament were set loose on the Georgia Club's course, Teresa Abbott sat down and exhaled.
This was a day of highs and lows for the Abbott family. The main high was yet another sold-out tournament, which will mean a lot of money donated to the St. Mary's Foundation, for its breast health imaging program. Teresa's husband, Jay, said they donated $250,000 last year, the most they've ever raised in one year, and they're getting close to the $2 million mark in total donations since Jay and Teresa started the charity in 2004.
"This has taken on a life of its own," Teresa said of the tournament that requires year-round work — finding sponsors, coordinating volunteers and dozens more details big and small — to pull off successfully. "We did it the first year never imagining that this is what it would become. ... People just kept calling and saying, 'You're doing this again next year, right?' Well, I guess we are."
Another high was seeing the many Georgia football players there to play, from little-known walk-ons to veterans starters like center Sedrick Van Pran and defensive lineman Nazir Stackhouse. Back in 2002, the Teresa and Jay's son, Chris, was a freshman walk-on offensive lineman. He eventually worked his way up the depth chart and was a letterman in 2006.
The Bulldogs Battling Breast Cancer (BBBC) event wouldn't be what it is without its connection to the Georgia football program, which came from Chris, then-coach Mark Richt, who got behind the event from the outset after Jay presented him with the idea, and the whole Bulldog family.
"That's what it is, it's a family," Teresa said.
"We can't do it without the UGA football players that are all here," Jay said.
In February, the Abbott and Bulldog family suffered a tragic loss when Chris, a month before his 40th birthday, died from complications during liver surgery. A banner honoring Chris hung above the door as all of the participants went into register in the club's ballroom.
"It's a joyous day," Jay said, "but it's a somber day as well."
"Chris was bigger than life and loved life," Teresa said. "It was difficult (today), but at the same time, it's good to celebrate him."
Michael Abbott, Chris' brother, said one of the things Chris was most proud of in his life was being a Georgia football player.
"He really enjoyed it, he talked about it all the time, and even now, when you're a Georgia football player, you're a Georgia football player for life," Michael told the participants before play began.
Chris' arrival at Georgia happened a year before Teresa was diagnosed with stage 3 Breast Cancer in 2003. After she went through 18 months of very difficult treatment, she was given a clean bill of health. And she's still healthy and well all these years later.
After Teresa completed her treatment, she and Jay decided to join the fight against a disease that affects women and families everywhere. The Abbotts decided to raise some money with a golf tournament, initially to support the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, and the BBBC event was born.
What makes this tournament unique is the format. Instead of four-person teams entering the event together, it's three-person teams, with a Georgia football player being the fourth member of each group.
"I've coached college football since 2000, so that's 23 years, and I have never seen this many players at a function like this," special teams coordinator Scott Cochran said during his pre-round remarks to the participants.
In the first BBBC tournament, at the UGA Golf Course, Jay, an avid golfer, tried to join the fun and play with everyone else. He quickly realized that he was needed elsewhere.
"I was a nervous wreck. I was calling back to the clubhouse, I was texting my wife — I was just so nervous that things were not going to go right," he said, laughing. "After that, I said I'm going to resign myself to not playing."
Before Monday's round began, the football players were joking with each other, posing for pictures and chatting with the other participants, and then, for many of them, like the 6-foot-3 and 320-pound Stackhouse, squeezing themselves into their golf carts.
Some Bulldogs had the smooth, fluid swings of golfers. Others had more clunky swings that might produce a 300-yard drive or a divot six inches behind the ball. A "Happy Gilmore" run-up swing was even spotted on the driving range. Like the players themselves, their swings came in all shapes and sizes.
All of them were wearing white wristbands with "BCA" written on them. That was in honor of Bryan Chris Abbott, who during his playing days would wear a white wristband with either his mom's initials or those of a family friend also battling breast cancer.
"Michael came up with this great idea to do this in his honor," Jay said.
The scores didn't matter Monday. Whether your drive went down the middle of the fairway or sailed left or right, never to be seen again, that didn't matter either.
This event since its inception, and this year in particular, has always been about family, friends and teammates. Savoring time with those you're with, raising money to help fight a disease that affects nearly everyone, and remembering those that have left us far too soon.
Assistant Sports Communications Director John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.
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