Kevin Atkinson was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease on a Friday. As a head football coach and athletic director, not much could take his mind off the football game that night, but a life-changing diagnosis did.
“That was the day the world stopped,” said Chrissy Atkinson, Kevin’s wife.
The diagnosis led to Kevin’s abrupt retirement as Marcus High School’s head football coach and athletic director in 2023.
While originally diagnosed as Parkinson’s disease, his family has since confirmed he is battling Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP), a different, but similar, rare neurological disease.
According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, PSP is caused by damage to the nerve cells in the area of the brain that controls thinking and body movement.
It can often look like Parkinson’s early on, and have similar symptoms, but PSP progresses more rapidly than Parkinson’s.
No matter what Atkinson is fighting, his wife, Chrissy Atkinson, said the family has constantly felt supported by the community.
The family set up a fundraising page that will help cover medical and housing costs for Kevin, who can still walk with some assistance but often uses a wheelchair and has trouble speaking.
Since it started, the community has come together to raise nearly $90,000.
“Being a coach, he has impacted so many lives,” she said. “Feeling the support he once poured into others now coming back is so rewarding.”
It has been a significant change of pace for the formerly very active coach, but it hasn’t stopped him from getting out and about – occasionally to a high school football game or a vacation to the beach.
“He was so used to getting up every day, leaving the house at 5 a.m. and getting home late at night, it’s hard for him to sit around and watch TV all day,” said Chrissy.
Chrissy and Kevin have since moved to Northlake, but continue to watch the Marauders on TV when they can. He can even catch some of his former players on the field with collegiate or professional teams.
The Atkinsons also hope Kevin’s story will help spread awareness about PSP and encourage more research into the disease.
“It’s frustrating to go to some emergency rooms and they don’t know what we’re dealing with,” said Chrissy. “But I don’t feel like God put him through this just for us not to talk about it.”
Donations to help the Atkinsons can be sent in via the family’s fundraising page.
Atkinson began his career as an assistant offensive coach at Marcus in 1992. After a successful decade as the head coach at Keller High School, Atkinson coached Denton High School for five years before returning to Marcus in 2017.
In his six seasons as head coach, Marcus had a combined overall record of 43-22 and made four straight playoff appearances, including two seasons in which the Marauders were undefeated in district play.
