Spring-Ford Grad 'Defies All Odds'

“I thought it would be a fun hobby in memory of my dad, just something me and my buddies would wear when we were racing, but it became a full-time job,” said Cory Texter, the ower and CEO of Defy All Odds Apparel, in an interview with The Phoenix. 

Texter formed the company two years after his father, Randy, passed away. The Spring-Ford High School graduate said he wanted a way to memorialize all his father stood for during his life.

And, it all started with one simple T-shirt.

"[The shirt] bore the phrase 'Defy All Odds,' to his father’s uncanny ability to remain positive in light of multiple health problems, including Hodgkin’s lymphoma, multiple racing injuries and heart disease," said the article.

According to the apparel company's website, Randy suffered many downs in his racing years.

"He survived many top speed motorcycle crashes during his career, one of which required eight metal plates in his face. He made a full recovery, suited back up, raced (and won) again," said the DAO website.

Despite the injuries his father sustained over the years, Texter became a professional motorcycle driver. He joined the family business alongside his sister, Shayna, by age 24. The 2005 S-F grad races with her, one of the nation's top female drivers.

“Sometimes there will be 60, 70 riders in a race and she’ll be the only girl,” Texter said in The Phoenix interview. 

He says after he wore his Defy All Odds T-shirt, many in the field began to ask him for one to wear, too. He wanted to bring his father's never-quit spirit to more individuals, to touch lives the way his father impacted his.

“When our dad passed away we kept going. My dad defied a lot of odds but I like to think we did too, by continuing to race after he died,” he said to The Phoenix.

Defy All Odds Apparel was born. Now, Texter can seldom keep items in stock. The new styles are flying off the shelves.

Do you want to rock the threads of a hometown boy? You can find his latest styles on the company's website: http://daoapparel.com/.

Texter said it appeals to all ages, with the hip styles for the young and a lifelong message for older generations.

"Although he is no longer on this Earth, his legacy is something that will never fade away," said Texter of his father.