2022NationalChampionsEditionBack-To-BackWHAT’S THE WORDHAMILTON CULPEPPERDEVIN WILLOCK AND CHANDLER LECROYWILL FOREVER BE REMEMBEREDPHOTOS VIA INSTAGRAMDevin Willock and ChandlerLeCroy were two Bulldogs,two sweet souls, a son anda daughter with one thingbringing them together: University ofGeorgia football.Devin, an offensive lineman, andChandler, a recruiting analyst, were killedin a car wreck Sunday, January 15, 2023.Just hours before the fatal crash, allseemed right in the Classic City as Red andBlack flooded the streets with jubilationfor the parade that celebrated Georgia’ssecond straight national title. Now, theUGA campus floods with cold rain waterand heavy hearts as we mourn the loss oftwo Dawgs.The first time in the week following thecrash, I walked into my Sport Marketingcourse in the Ramsey Center, sat downand pulled out my computer just likeany other day. I opened this documentto begin writing this story, jotting downa few thoughts before class started.Professor Slonaker entered the room andunlike any other day, he didn’t put theattendance code on the screen.Rather, he sat on a stool at the front ofthe room and said, “We won’t be takingattendance this week after the tragedya few days ago. We all grieve in differentways, and if you feel you can’t make itto class because you knew them or yousimply just need time to take in thisshocking news, I understand.”In a time like this, a time withcircumstances this University has neverfaced, there is grieving. This school needstime to heal after this loss. In a time likethis, no outcome on the field, no recruitdecommitting, no player transferring orcoach leaving matters. In a time like this,a football team with two members lost,multiplies. An entire university becomesa family and an entire fanbase becomes asupport staff for their direct families andtheir even bigger family that wears the “G.”There were two survivors of the crash,Warren McClendon, another offensivelineman, and Tory Bowles, anotherrecruiting analyst.The printed version of this magazine isdistributed to the hometowns of thesetwo survivors: Warren of Brunswick andTory of Athens. Many readers of oursprobably know these families. Tory was mybabysitter, drove me home from schooland is always such a light to everyonearound her. So, from the Athens andBrunswick communities, from the BI familyand from all of Dawg Nation, we sendprayers and well wishes to the Bowles andMcClendon families as well.In the wake of this tragedy, however, afew lights have shone through the UGAstudent body, not only memorializingthe lives lost but revealing Devin andChandler’s loving character while theywalked this earth.As the Georgia basketball team traveledto Lexington (on January 17) to take onKentucky, Devin’s friend and Georgiahooper Jabri Abdur-Rahim and CoachMike White added a patch to the team’sjerseys, recognizing the two victims.Extra Special People (ESP), the studentaffiliated,non-profit organization thatcreates opportunities for disabledchildren, posted a picture of Devin witha few of the kids after a Georgia practice.The caption says: “Devin Willock was oneof our special buddies. Not only will #77be remembered for being a championon the Georgia football field, but hewas a loving champion for people withdisabilities at ESP. Devin, your warm andgentle presence will never be forgotten.Today, our buddies celebrate and honoryou.”Chandler’s obituary said: “She had a wayof making each and every prospect andtheir families feel like her own family. Herlove for the current Georgia football teamdidn’t go unnoticed. She would spendas many hours a day as she could to theprogram helping out in any and everyway she could. Her job didn’t stop withrecruiting. She made it her responsibilityto help every single entity in the building,whether that be defensive and offensivesupport staff, nutrition, equipment,operations and any department thatneeded a helping hand. Every departmentof Georgia Football lost a member of theirteam and she will forever be missed.”Devin not only gave his heart and soul onthe field, but he gave it back to the peopleless fortunate who couldn’t play footballbecause of their disabilities. Chandler gaveher heart and soul to Georgia football aswell, showing any recruit how Georgia canbe their home just as it has been to her.Devin and Chandler won’t just beremembered with two rings on theirfingers; they won’t just be rememberedfor being back-to-back champions; theywon’t just be remembered for even beingmembers of the Georgia football team;they will be remembered for so muchmore: their love for everyone aroundthem, their care for those who neededhelp, their hard work and dedicationto Georgia, and their joy that acted asa magnet gravitating everyone towardthem.The two were an unlikely bunch as Devinwas a redshirt sophomore from NewMilford, New Jersey, and Chandler wasa Georgia girl from Toccoa, but Georgiafootball brought them together, and justlike everyone they came in contact with,Georgia football was so fortunate to havethem. Rest in Peace Devin and Chandler.Your stellar commitment to the Red andBlack will forever be remembered andcelebrated by the Bulldog Nation.BULLDAWGILLUSTRATED 122 2022 NATIONAL CHAMPIONS EDITION
A Team Unitedas We Celebrate 2 National Championshipsand Remember the Lives of 2 Champions …DGDs Devin Willock and Chandler LeCroy.Building Success.Providing Hope.Putting 1000 peopleto work daily2019BULLDOG 100Athens • Braselton • Covingtonand Lawrenceville(706) 548-0625