Travon Walker makes donation to Georgia Athletic Association through foundation
Former Georgia standout Travon Walker is giving back to the University of Georgia and he’s doing so with his checkbook. Through his Travon Walker Foundation the former five-star prospect is sending $44,000 to the UGA Athletic Association. The number is derived from his jersey number at Georgia, No. 44.
“The University of Georgia has made a major impact on my career in many ways,” Walker said according to a statement released by Georgia sports information. “Without the University of Georgia, to be honest, I really don’t know where I would be at this point. I’m truly grateful that I went to the University of Georgia, which helped instill me with leadership, integrity and discipline. One of the main things that made me contribute and give back to the University of Georgia was just the simple fact that the university poured so much into me. UGA helped provide me with the opportunity to continue my journey and do things that I like to do, which are to play football and go to school to get a great education. Those factors played a major role in my decision to attend the University of Georgia, and I’m extremely thankful about that decision.”
Come off a year in which he helped Georgia win its first National Championship in 41 years, Walker was selected No. 1 overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2022 NFL Draft. Walker, in his final season at Georgia, piled up six sacks, 7.5 tackles for loss and 37 total tackles. Walker had sacks in each of UGA’s College Football Playoff wins over Michigan and Alabama.
According to the release from UGA, Walker’s donation is specifically earmarked for the program’s sports medicine department for the purchase of equipment that will help both in terms of training/development and therapy.
“We greatly appreciate Travon’s generous donation through the Travon Walker Foundation,” said Ron Courson, the UGA Athletic Association’s Executive Association Athletic Director for Sports Medicine. “Travon represented the University of Georgia extremely well both on and off the field and continues to make positive impacts now through his play in the NFL with the Jacksonville Jaguars and in the community through his foundation. The funds will be used to purchase a Kineo Intelligent Load system. Kineo is a new generation robotic machine from Italy designed for both rehabilitation and training. It offers a wide variety of testing and training capabilities and is the first unit that can test with both open chain and closed chain. This gives us outstanding functional training capabilities and will greatly benefit our student-athletes.”
About the Travon Walker Foundation
From UGA’s Press Release…
“The Travon Walker Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization committed to helping the youth of today be where their feet are. We show young people how to use their strengths to identify, plan, and pursue their passions. The Travon Walker Foundation aims to inspire the next generation of leaders, entrepreneurs, and community builders. The foundation’s focus areas include job creation in Thomaston, Ga., (Travon’s hometown); business and financial literacy for youth; youth sports facility & equipment improvements; and community development in Thomaston.”
