It’s been an incredible season of success stories in the Pat McAfee Kicking Contest on College GameDay this season. But nobody may have a better story than Texas Tech student John from Wichita Falls, Texas.
McAfee has literally given away millions of dollars on GameDay this year as student after student successfully converts on the 33 yard field goal attempt. He even gave away the money for a student after Kirk Herbstreit was able to throw the ball through the uprights after a kick barely left the ground.
But for dental student John, this one was personal. He told Pat McAfee and Kirk Hebrstreit that he was a soccer player and kicker for his high school, but only for kickoffs. When asked why, he said that he missed an extra point during his junior year in the state title game and his team lost by just one point.
McAfee leaned on that narrative and gave John an opportunity to win $500,000. The first kick had the distance, but was pulled to the left with the wind moving in that direction. He immediately asked for one more chance and the generous former punter gave it to him, with $250,000 going to him and another $250,000 to charity in Lubbock.
That’s when John, kicking barefoot, nailed a beautiful kick straight through the uprights.
How about that? Forget kicking with a quarter-million dollars on the line. Forget doing it in front of all of your university peers. Forget doing it in front of a national television audience. This was personal. This was a fantastic redemption arc for someone who clearly had some demons in front of the uprights. And he was able to redeem himself for all the world to see.
And to do it barefoot? Let’s see Cam Little and all the other kickers making 60+ yard field goals try that on Sundays.
About Matt Yoder