Ohio State, Michigan State to honor grandson of Lloyd Carr with helmet decals

Some things are bigger than football.

When Michigan State and Ohio State square off in a critical game Saturday in Columbus, both teams will honor a member of the University of Michigan family. According to the Detroit News, both teams will pay tribute to Chad Carr – the five-year old grandson of longtime Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr – by wearing special helmet decals during Saturday’s game.

Chad is battling an inoperable brain tumor and recently entered hospice care. The decals – scarlet and grey for Ohio State, green and white for Michigan State – have a boy flexing his muscles and the sayings “ChadToughFDN” (for the ChadTough.org foundation) and “#ChadTough.”

	Spartan Football @MSU_Football
Ohio State & MSU will pay tribute to former U-M coach Lloyd Carr's grandson Chad by wearing special helmet decals. pic.twitter.com/GvnoM7HVSa 11:03 AM - 20 Nov 2015 Twitter by:Spartan Football@MSU_Football

Michigan athletic director Jim Hackett told the Detroit News that the idea to honor Chad came from OSU athletic director Gene Smith and MSU athletic director Mark Hollis.

From the Detroit News:

Michigan interim athletic director Jim Hackett received a call from Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith informing him of the decals and the fact he and MSU athletic director Mark Hollis wanted to not only pay tribute to Chad Carr but also to Lloyd Carr.

“He made it clear to me their respect for Lloyd is what radiates in all of this,” Hackett told The Detroit News on Friday. “They have great respect for him. I called and told Lloyd, and he was touched all the way around.

“For me that’s what makes college sports so much better. It is wonderful being able to stand for that.”

The Michigan football team dedicated last weekend’s win over Indiana to Chad and wrote "ChadTough" on the back of their helmets.

	Michigan Athletics @UMichAthletics
Players are writing individual messages on their helmets for Chad Carr. This is Joe Kerridge’s. #GoBlue #ChadTough pic.twitter.com/DFkBlS5L7R 11:08 AM - 14 Nov 2015 Twitter by:Michigan Athletics@UMichAthletics

A day after the win, Michigan team captains Joe Bolden and Joe Kerridge delivered Chad the game ball.

	Tammi Carr @tamcarr21
Michigan captains Joe Kerridge and Joe Bolden came by to give chad yesterday's game ball. Go Blue! #chadtough pic.twitter.com/bFSJmaKfHw 11:56 AM - 15 Nov 2015 Twitter by:Tammi Carr@tamcarr21

Chad and his family were also guests of Michigan for the season opener against Oregon State, where they joined the team on the field for the coin toss.

Chad was first diagnosed last September and doctors said he had somewhere around nine to 12 months to live.