Aggie Spirit fights ALS with festival, massive Ice Bucket Challenge
Former Texas A&M football player Chris Larkin leads College Station event
Former Texas A&M University football player Chris Larkin is returning to the university’s campus in College Station, widely known as Aggieland, to rally support in the fight against amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
Larkin, who played tight end for the Texas A&M Aggies in the 1980s, was diagnosed with ALS in 2022. On Nov. 1, he will lead the final event of Aggieland Against ALS — an ALS Association campaign bringing together students, alumni, and the local community to raise awareness and funds for ALS research, care, and advocacy.
Participants will also attempt to set a world record for the largest Ice Bucket Challenge ever held on a college campus.
The initiative began earlier this year as a statewide fundraising challenge during ALS Awareness Month. It will wrap up with a festival at Texas A&M’s Aggie Park that features a 5K run, a community walk, and the record-setting Ice Bucket Challenge. The Ice Bucket Challenge is expected to draw more than 500 participants.
Launched in 2014, the Ice Bucket Challenge encourages participants to pour ice water over themselves, share a video, and donate. The viral campaign raised millions of dollars worldwide to support ALS research and awareness.
Chris Larkin turns his ALS journey into a rallying cry
“ALS is no match for the Aggie Spirit,” Chris Larkin said in a press release from the ALS association. “This event is about showing that when Aggies rally together, there’s no challenge too big, not even ALS.”
Beyond organizing Aggieland Against ALS, Larkin and his wife, Cissy, have become key advocates for the ALS community. Earlier this year, they helped advance the Chris Larkin ALS Act, now a law in Texas.
The law expands access to Medigap — supplemental insurance that helps cover healthcare costs not paid by Medicare — for Texans under 65 who qualify for Medicare due to ALS or other disabilities.
Now, the couple is channeling that same determination into building an event that raises awareness, supports families affected by ALS, and harnesses the strength of the Aggie community.
Aggieland Against ALS is supported by a lineup of sponsors, including title sponsor NOW Foods, along with major sponsors Dave Coolidge, Lauren and Bob O’Brien, and Connie and Ben Langston.
Campus partners include the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets, the Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band, and Phi Delta Theta. William Chris Vineyards, a Texas winery, also will be on-site, with wine sales benefitting ALS research.
“The Aggie community has always stood for leadership and service,” said Lindsey McElwee, managing director of development at the ALS Association. “Every step, every dollar, and every Ice Bucket Challenge taken at Aggieland Against ALS moves us closer to making ALS livable for everyone, everywhere — and one day, to finding a cure.”
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