Running the Ball: Students Fundraise Ahead of Annual Rivalry Game

On Sunday, Georgia Tech students will journey from Atlanta to Athens to run the game ball for next week’s matchup against the University of Georgia. 

The annual Run for the Kids is a fundraiser for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and a partnership between the Georgia Tech and UGA chapters of the Phi Gamma Delta (FIJI) fraternity.  

Tech students will run from Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field to a meeting point near Loganville to hand the ball off to UGA students. Jack Ready, a biomedical engineering major, will follow the runners in a truck with a police escort in front. 

“We go stadium to stadium and will bring three game balls with us,” Ready said. “We have a lot of people who want to run this year after reviving the event last year.”  

The tradition took a pandemic-induced hiatus until 2023 but has already begun to grow again. Because of the increased interest from runners this year, each student will run approximately 2 miles of the course in a relay style — except for two members who plan to run a marathon distance along with their friends.  

Ultimately, the game balls will reach Sanford Stadium ahead of the contest with their in-state rivals on Friday, Nov. 29, at 7:30 p.m. Ready is optimistic about both the run and the game as the Yellow Jackets come off a perfect season at home after Thursday's win over NC State.

“Our odds are the best they’ve been,” he said.  

Follow along Sunday on FIJI’s Instagram. Donations are still being accepted.