Patric Young hasn’t let the hardships get the best of him throughout his life. In fact, he’s thrived in moments of adversity to create a heartwarming organization better known as the Patric Young Foundation.
The two-time All-SEC honoree and 1,000-career point scorer, who reached three Elite Eights and a Final Four with the Florida men’s basketball team, appreciates life today more than ever, he said.
However, this appreciation is no longer fixed on dribbling or dunking a basketball. It’s about shedding light on others who have experienced the same troubling times Young did.
In August 2022, he was paralyzed from the waist down following a car accident in Nebraska while driving his truck.
“My life as a human being was never solely to be based off of my basketball career,” Young said. “The joy of my life I have now is having purpose. Having [a] purpose to be an example of light to other people. Stuff happens to all of us. But how can we be a light to this world and encourage others?”
The support and encouragement Young received throughout his initial recovery process in South Dakota proved to be incredibly beneficial. Though he included immediate family members and close friends on his visitors list, an unexpected act of kindness left him awestruck. His hospital room was set in what seemed to be a bad location to see nearby fireworks set off on the Fourth of July, just days after his accident. However, the inconvenience didn’t last long.
“On the Fourth of July, when I was in the hospital, I wanted to see fireworks,” Young said. “My friends that came up to South Dakota to see me went out and bought some fireworks. [They] lit them up on the hospital corner street where I could see them.”
Fast forward four months, Young was already making the most of what many would peg as an insurmountable task. He initiated the Patric Young Foundation to provide a safe space for people facing unique challenges, much like his own, while providing resources that lead to a better life for those it serves.
“I got this call in my heart to start a foundation,” Young said. “The defeatism that is presented to people losing their physical ability, their mental struggles, their emotional deflation and the overwhelming of the grieving process [is difficult].”
The former SEC Defensive Player of The Year has grown his foundation to even greater heights as the third annual 629 Open is set to take place Sept. 23 at the Golf Club at South Hampton in St. Augustine. As golfers compete in the tournament, former UF alumni and local residents in the Jacksonville and Gainesville areas donate money to the foundation.
Gary Condron is a UF alumni and the CEO and founder of the Conlan Company, the largest financial donor in the history of Gator [athletic] Boosters who has a thorough history of donating to UF’s sports programs.
“It’s such a blessing,” Young said. “I want to shout out [to] Gary Condron and his company and his team for helping us raise money… We have [raised] over $100,000 thus far that we just can’t wait to use.”
Throughout the rapid growth of his foundation, Young made one thing clear: This was not about helping himself. He emphasized his gratitude for being alive and said his target audience throughout the process of growing his brand has been people who are lost and feel like they’re abandoned.
“We’re going to pay for driving evaluations for people that need to learn how to drive again,” Young said. “One day, [we’re] going to modify somebody’s vehicle that needs hand controls. Maybe there [will be] wheelchair basketball camps for free in the future.”
Despite a life-altering injury, Young has received continuous and unconditional love from nurses, doctors, family and friends.
Alex Bodney is the fireworks-blaster who has stuck by his lifelong best friend’s side since the dark times of Young’s recovery in South Dakota. Bodney is also a board member of the PYF and was a major contributor to the organization coming to fruition.
“It was never ‘Why me?’ for Patrick,” Bodney said. “Never ‘This is bullsh*t.’ Never ‘I can’t believe that I’m going through this.’ It was always, ‘I’m going to make something positive out of this terrible situation.’”
To date, the 629 Open continues to be the main source of revenue for the PYF. Bodney won’t be attending the tournament this year, but he’s still well aware of the positive influence it will have.
“It means everything that we have a local community in central and northeast Florida that has responded,” Bodney said. “[They] helped us raise hundreds of thousands of dollars at this point that we’re now starting to be able to put to good use and find good homes for those dollars.”
The relationships Young has formed since starting the foundation have been incredibly impactful.
Jessica Cummings may not be a lifelong friend of his, but she’s the Vice President of Community Engagement at Brooks Health Rehabilitation and knows Young on a personal level.
“That smile and that exuberance that he carries into the room really provides hope and inspiration and joy to others,” Cummings said. “I think he’s also very real in the struggles that he’s gone through which help people to connect back.”
Brooks Rehabilitation is a non-profit organization with more than 70 locations across northeast and central Florida that cares for individuals in a post-acute setting, meaning it works with patients from when the initial injury occurs all the way until they are living a normal life again.
Young is most familiar with and closely associated with Brooks’ spinal cord injury day treatment. The program was invaluable during his recovery process and largely contributed to the generous donations Young gave back to the organization with the proceeds from last year’s 629 Open.
“We are just honored and thrilled that Patric thought enough of us to let us be one of his beneficiaries,” Cummings said.
For someone who was once at the height of his playing career before a life-altering obstacle, there’s no stopping Young’s smile from nearly reaching ear to ear just like it always has. He won’t pocket a dime from the money donated to the 629 Open this year. Instead, Young strives to fulfill a bigger purpose moving forward that could forever change the world for the better.
“I just pray that one day, there’ll be a cure,” Young said. “One day there’ll be a cure and I’ll be forced to pivot my foundation to something else because spinal cord injuries [won’t be] a thing… Eliminating a problem like that would be incredible.”
Contact Max Tucker at mtucker@alligator.org. Follow him on X @Max_Tuckr1.
Max Tucker is a junior transfer student at UF. After obtaining his A.A. in Journalism from Santa Fe College in 2023, he chose further his education at Florida's College of Journalism and Communications. Max is currently pursuing his Bachelor of Science in Journalism with a specialization in sports and media. He enjoys golfing and going to the beach with his friends in his free time.
