Former Marcus High School head football coach Kevin Atkinson is battling Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, a rare and incurable brain disease. PSP has robbed him of his speech, and he can no longer walk, according to Dave Campbell's Texas Football.

Atkinson's family confirmed the diagnosis in reports published Thursday, Sept. 10, by the Cross Timbers Gazette and Dave Campbell's Texas Football. The community has raised nearly $90,000 through a GoFundMe page to help cover the family's medical and housing costs.

PSP is a degenerative neurological disorder caused by damage to nerve cells that control thinking and body movement, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. It resembles Parkinson's disease early on but progresses faster.

The first signs appeared in the fall of 2018, when Atkinson came home from work complaining that his right side felt weaker than his left. Brain scans were inconclusive. Doctors initially suspected a stroke.

His speech began to slow.

In June 2021, he was diagnosed with Parkinson's. On Sept. 10, 2021, a check-up at UT Southwestern Hospital produced the PSP diagnosis. A neurologist told him he had five to seven years to live and that there was no cure.

Chrissy Atkinson, Kevin's wife, told the Cross Timbers Gazette the initial Parkinson's diagnosis shook the family on a night Kevin still had a game to coach. "That was the day the world stopped," she said.

Atkinson coached one more season after the PSP diagnosis, leading Marcus to the playoffs in 2022. By the end, he could no longer call plays fast enough and had to hand off play-calling duties. He retired in February 2023.

His career spanned 21 years as a head coach. He started as an assistant offensive coach at Marcus in 1992, then led programs at Keller High School and Denton High School before returning to Marcus in 2017.

At Marcus, he compiled a 43-22 record over six seasons, with two undefeated district seasons and four straight playoff appearances. Across all three stops, his overall record was 126-100.

During the 2019 playoff run, rumors spread that Atkinson had a drinking problem because of his slurred speech in postgame interviews. His family says that was when they realized something more serious was happening.

Atkinson now lives in Northlake with Chrissy, a Delta Air Lines flight attendant, and their youngest daughter, Abby, a 2025 Texas Tech graduate who serves as his primary caretaker. She brushes his teeth, shaves his face and takes him on golf cart rides around the neighborhood each evening, according to Dave Campbell's Texas Football.

His oldest daughter, Lexi, is a new mother. His son, Colton, recently married and lives four blocks away.

PSP has not affected Atkinson's thoughts or memory. He still watches the Marauders on TV and follows some of his former players at the college and professional level.

The family hopes sharing his story will raise awareness about PSP and push for more research. The GoFundMe campaign to support the Atkinsons remains open.