WILLIAMSBURG — Langdon Richardson is gearing up to attend his very first football game as William & Mary takes on Furman at Zable Stadium on Sept. 21.
Richardson, who recently underwent a kidney and liver transplant, was matched with William & Mary football through Team IMPACT. Team IMPACT matches children facing serious illness and disability with college sports teams to create long-term and life-changing experiences for everyone involved.
Tiffany Richardson, Langdon’s mother, had reached out to Team IMPACT in the weeks leading up to Langdon’s double transplant. In the span of just a few weeks, Langdon was matched with William & Mary football.
“During my first initial call with Team IMPACT, they were really giving me a lot of information on what it is that they do. I remember them asking me what schools are near you, and obviously, William & Mary was our first pick, simply just from an ease of access standpoint. They also asked me to give them an idea of the top three sports that Langdon would love to be matched with,” Richardson said.
Being that Langdon will never be able to play football due to his transplant organs, Tiffany was excited to learn of his match with the local college team.
Last week, Langdon and Tiffany were invited to meet a group of players, and according to Tiffany, Langdon and the team hit it off right away.
“The guys really just circled around him and hung out with him in the locker room. Langdon just thought it was the coolest thing ever that these college kids were so into him and that he had so many common interests with him. It was really cool to watch them engage with each other and it really was so genuine on both sides,” Richardson said.
Tiffany also hit it off with Tribe head coach Mike London, bonding over a shared experience. London’s daughter underwent a bone marrow transplant at the age of seven. London himself offered to be tested and was found to be a perfect match.
“Him and I connected right away from a parenting aspect of a medical journey. We had a very long, get to know each other conversation, while Langdon was with the players. It was kind of blowing me away because he would say something and I instantly knew what he was talking about. I would start to say something and he would be able to finish the sentence for me. Nobody would be able to finish a sentence unless you’ve been on a medical journey like that with your own child. I really think Langdon’s match was meant to be,” Richardson said.
London extended an open invitation to Langdon to watch any practice. He will also get to attend the team dinner prior to the Furman game, where Langdon will officially sign with the team as part of Team IMPACT.
Team IMPACT’s involvement in the program lasts at least two years, but relationships can continue between matches for as long as the family would like.
After his initial visit with the team, Tiffany noticed that the majority of Langdon’s YouTube streaming was videos relating to the rules of football, crazy plays, and even some William & Mary content.
“This is far bigger than football, especially for Langdon. I’m excited to see what more he is going to get out of this relationship than just the sport aspect,” Richardson said.
William & Mary will take on Furman on Sept. 21 at 6 p.m. at Zable Stadium. The game will celebrate Community Day and also marks the annual National Marrow Donor Program game, where opportunities to join the Bone Marrow donation registry will be available throughout the stadium.
Tickets to the game and more can be found on TribeAthletics.com.
