Georgia Tech fan donates $24k to All-In Challenge for charity - and to outbid UGA package

If you haven’t heard by now, some athletes, celebrities and sports teams are taking part in the All-In Challenge.

It’s an online fundraiser sponsored by Fanatics that allows people to bid on one-of-a-kind fan experiences to raise money to feed those in need.

The Georgia Tech football program took part in it and recently announced its winner.

Channel 2′s Alison Mastrangelo caught up with the Yellow Jackets alumnus who not only won the bid, but also went above and beyond the asking price.

Mike Landry graduated from Georgia Tech in 1987 and originally heard about the All-In Challenge when Tampa Bay quarterback Tom Brady posted about it.

“Then I saw Geoff Collins up there and I thought that one would be pretty cool to bid on,” he said.

Landry placed his bid of $12,000 on the final day and waited five minutes to see if anyone would counter it. He won Georgia Tech’s all-access fan experience for the Mayhem at Mercedes-Benz Stadium versus Notre Dame.

“I was obviously pretty excited about it,” he said.

Landry decided that $12,000 wasn’t enough. So he doubled it to $24,000. The donation was split between the Fanatic charities and the Alexander-Tharpe Fund, which supports Georgia Tech student-athlete scholarships.

His main motivation of course was to help those in need. But he also wanted to make sure Tech remained ahead of its instate rival.

“I went online and I saw Todd Gurley had put an experience with UGA and he had to raise more money,” Landry said. “I wasn’t going to let Georgia beat Tech.”

The final bid for Gurley’s package reached $15,250.

Once head coach Geoff Collins heard about his donation, he caught up with Landry via a Zoom video chat.

“Just wanted to reach out to him to tell him how much it means to us and our program,” Collins said. “Just excited for our fan base and guys like him to step up and show their support for all that we’re doing.”

Landry said he feels very fortunate he’s in a position where he can help others. He is really looking forward to the behind-the-scenes access with the Yellow Jackets.

“Being in the locker room for the opening speech; being with coaches and team. I always wonder what it’s like since I didn’t play college sports,” Landry said. “It’s a pretty cool experience.”

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