Winovich Orange Hair Fundraiser For ChadTough Has Gone Viral, Raised $100K

Michigan defensive end Chase Winovich and his teammates are going to dye their hair orange for #chadtough.

What began as a challenge to raise $15,000 for DIPG research in honor of Chad Carr has blown up. Winovich announced Dec. 20 that he would dye is hair orange for the Outback Bowl if fans could raise $15,000 (to represent his No. 15 jersey) for The ChadTough Foundation and Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG) research.

It now includes defensive tackle Maurice Hurst, offensive tackle Grant Newsome and Larry Prout. They're up to $100,000 and counting.

“I came up with the idea a couple months ago, actually,” Winovich said. “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 are some people that don't like it. It's a hot topic.”

The fundraiser was published via social media Wed., Dec. 20 at 6:30 pm et. Within five hours, more than $10,000 was raised. By 8 a.m. Thursday, the goal had been reached.

“I am shocked and thrilled to be in a position to give back to the community that has given so much to me,” Winovich said. “I want to thank each and every one of you from the bottom of my heart for making this whole thing possible.”

Hurst announced last week that he would also dye his hair orange if the total reached $73,000 for his jersey No. 73. Hours later, Newsome announced he would dye his hair orange for the Outback Bowl if donations reached half of his jersey number (77), $38,500.

“This is just incredible,” ChadTough co-founder, Tammi Carr, said. “This is a tough time of year for our family. To have this unexpected joy creep up is a great thing for us and for DIPG. Not only is this raising research dollars, it will put the story on a national stage on New Year’s Day.”

Supporters can contribute to the Chase Winovich Hair Dye Challenge for ChadTough! by visiting Crowdrise!

Former Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr, Chad's grandfather, has also been touched by the outpouring of love. He remembered his grandson's last Christmas, telling the story at Chad's memorial service in recalling the way Chad found joy despite the worst of circumstances.

“That kid, he loved presents and he loved to open them,” he said. “He was going to open every one there without any help. I was so thankful that, even with his condition, he was able to forget the discomfort he was in because he loved opening those presents. Nothing was going to interfere. It was a beautiful thing for me.”

And for the Michigan family, which has rallied around the Carrs for the last several years in their time of need.

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