From CFB-HQ On SI · · 1m 50s
A fan kicked a field goal for $1.2 million
A College GameDay fan named Connor missed his first try, got a second chance, and walked off with a seven-figure payday he immediately cut in half.
In brief
A College GameDay fan named Connor missed his first try, got a second chance, and walked off with a seven-figure payday he immediately cut in half. GameDay's fan kick has quietly turned into the biggest single payout in college football Saturday mornings, and the winners keep giving half of it away. Originally…
A seven-figure leg in Austin
College GameDay set up in Austin for No. 4 Texas against No. 1 Ohio State. The biggest money of the morning had nothing to do with either team.
The first kick sailed wide
Connor's opening attempt was playing for $1 million. It had the distance, but it drifted right of the upright.
He asked for another shot
Connor turned to the GameDay desk and asked for a second chance. They gave him one.
Herbstreit and McConaughey raised it
Kirk Herbstreit threw in another $100,000. Guest picker Matthew McConaughey matched him. The second attempt was suddenly worth $1.2 million.
“Kirk Herbstreit was out $100,000 after a big CGD kick.”
The left foot delivered
The second kick had leg to spare and split the uprights. The Austin crowd came unglued.
“Connor has an ABSOLUTE leg, might be the best kick we've had!”
Half of it goes to kids in Uganda
Connor kept $600,000 and sent $600,000 to Building Tomorrow, a nonprofit teaching literacy and math to children in rural East Africa.
“$600K to him and $600K to charity”
An Indianapolis coincidence
Building Tomorrow is headquartered in Indianapolis, the same city as the NCAA.
The old record was half this
Last season Vanderbilt student Tyler Hwang took home $500,000 and sent $250,000 to charity. Connor's kick nearly doubled the best payout on record.
Schools are training their kickers now
As the pot grew, programs started preparing for it. Vanderbilt players held informal practice sessions with student kickers, and Hwang cashed in.
The big picture
GameDay's fan kick has quietly turned into the biggest single payout in college football Saturday mornings, and the winners keep giving half of it away.
