DAPHNE, Alabama—Touchdown Atlanta. Team Todd, a support group for Daphne educator Jacy Todd who was severely injured in a traffic crash in the Malbis area Aug. 1, confirmed that the popular football and golf coach and history teacher landed with his wife Deaytra and her sister Dynette Ballard in Atlanta about noon local time after an hour flight from Mobile.

Over the weekend Todd was given the medical release for rehab that he and his family have been praying for since he began making a stunning recovery  after spinal surgery Aug. 15, and then no longer needing assisted breathing about a week later.

Denise Morgan, who along with her Daphne-football-playing sons Nic and Zack came up with the Team Todd concept to help find ways to help relieve some of the Todd's immediate financial needs. The first idea is a t-shirt sales drive set up less than a week after the wreck.

“We were devastated when we heard of Coach Todd's accident,” she said.

“He has played such an important role in the lives of many children. His influence reached beyond the football field into the halls of Daphne High School. He has been a teacher, a coach, a mentor, and a friend to many. He is truly one of a kind. When something like this happens to someone who is special to you, you often find yourself wanting to help, but not knowing what you can do. On the way home from visiting the Todd family at the hospital, my boys — who both played football for Jacy — and I found ourselves in that very position. We started throwing out ideas of what we could do. My son, Nic, thought we should call ourselves Team Todd. The t-shirt idea came to me a few days later, almost on a whim. I had never done any type of fund raising, but I thought this was a great time to start. The support from the community has been phenomenal, and has left many of us in awe.”

The shirts have TEAM TODD on the front left hand side. On the back is printed, "Daphne Trojans are believing in a miracle. " Under that is from the New Testament, Romans 12:12, a verse that Deaytra Todd has “really leaned on since the accident,” Morgan said adding, “I feel like the overwhelming amount of support and prayers from so many, not just in Daphne, but all over the state, speaks volumes about just how special the Todd family is to so many.”

Morgan is a contact person for placing t-shirt orders. Call her at 251-458-4823 to order.

According to the website, Caringbridge.org — which was set up for friends to follow Todd's recovery — posts to the site will continue from Atlanta. Although physicians have counseled the family that a full recovery with total use of his legs is unlikely, the Todd family believes strongly in the power of prayer and often asks other to join them.

One of the last postings by Ballard before they left Mobile stated, ”Dyeatra and I both have a strong feeling God is doing a work in Jacy and we are still praying for complete healing. His progress up to this point has even surprised one of the doctors who just came back from a two week vacation. Join us as we continue to pray for yet another miracle."

Nic Morgan graduated from Daphne last year. Zack is a junior quarterback. Their mom also believes the best outcome is possible with hard work and prayer. "The miracle we are all praying for and believing in is that he will walk out of the rehab center in Atlanta,"

she said. "We've got a big game ahead of us Labor Day (at Spanish Fort) and a coach (in Atlanta) very eager to hear the word that his Trojans took home the win."

Todd was life-flighted from the crash scene and immediately listed in critical condition on arrival at USA Medical Center with severe spinal injury, collapsed lung, broken ribs, and head laceration, along with multiple impact trauma.

After several days on the intensive care list, a six-hour surgery and an on-and-off battle with pneumonia, Todd gradually regained the ability to breath on his own last week.

Daphne head football coach and athletic director Glenn Vickery was encouraged by the improvements in his assistant coach's vital signs and lessened dependence on a ventilator.

"The last visit was very encouraging," Vickery said adding that the rest of his staff and players would continue to pray for Todd and honoring him by going forward into the football season using all that he taught them,

"Coach Todd would be mad at us if we didn't go ahead and have a good practice."