Did fans just witness the greatest Pat McAfee Kicking Contest, the GOAT, of all his contests?
For a fun event that always brings a surprising twist or two, Saturday’s contest in Athens on College GameDay ahead of the Georgia-Tennessee game featured some great drama.
First, the student selected to kick, Belle Sessions, frankly admitted she would not make the kick. So she picked another student, Henry Silver, to kick for her.
Silver sounded confident when McAfee asked about his chances.
“I’ve kicked a ball before, I’ve played soccer my whole life, I think I can do it,” Silver said confidently.
Then Silver revealed he was from Indiana.
“Who’s your favorite team?” McAfee asked.
“The Colts,” Silver replied.
“Hell, yeah, dude. C’mon, bro,” McAfee said. The former Colts punter gave Silver a hug.
Sessions and Silver planned to split the $150,000 prize, but McAfee then decided to make it an even $200,000, giving each of them $100K.
Then McAfee doubled that amount to $400,000. And then, as Silver lined up for the kick, McAfee struck again.
“Why don’t we double it … an $800,000 kick right here,” McAfee said, adding a stipulation — no second chance for Silver if he missed.
With the pressure on Silver, he smacked the kick right through the center of the uprights.
“Belle, you’re a genius!” McAfee said, congratulating both students on their $200K prize ($400,000 went to hurricane relief).
It was a great moment. Kirk Herbstreit, the holder for all kicking contestants, had a priceless reaction.
Fun note: On Thursday Night Football, after Philadelphia Eagles kicker Jake Elliott missed several kicks, Herbstreit revealed that McAfee had just texted him, saying, “We have better kicks with his kicking contest.”
When McAfee and Herbstreit returned to the CGD stage, the rest of the cast got animated talking about the segment.
And then Herbstreit thanked McAfee for his generosity.
“Honestly, thank you for doing that segment,” Herbstreit said. “Every week, it’s fun …”
[ESPN]
About Arthur Weinstein
Arthur spends his free time traveling around the U.S. to sporting events, state and national parks, and in search of great restaurants off the beaten path.