The First Thing This Iowa Student Bought After Winning $150K on ESPN
An Iowa college student has $150,000 more in her bank account after a wild moment on national television. And while most people might dream about spending that kind of money on a new car, a vacation, or something fancy, Finnley Banfig has a different plan.
(Listen to the Full Interview with Finnley Below)
A 2 Million-Dollar Kick on College GameDay
If you watched ESPN's College GameDay when it visited Iowa City on October 3, you might remember Finnley's big moment.
Pat McAfee's popular “Kicking Is Easy” contest gave the Iowa freshman a chance to kick a 33-yard field goal and win $1 million for herself, with another $1 million promised to University of Iowa Health Care Stead Family Children's Hospital.
There was just one obstacle to overcome: Finnley had to make the kick. (Watch the video below)
She gave it a shot, but her first attempt didn't go through the uprights. She got another chance, but the second kick missed, too. Keep in mind, the slide-on UGGS she was wearing did NOT help with the accuracy.
Just like that, the million-dollar prize was off the table.
But the story wasn't over yet! (And neither is Finnley's chance at getting money)
An Iowa Football Legend Stepped In
Former Hawkeye football star and NFL tight end Dallas Clark got his chance to save the day.
Instead of kicking the football, Clark had to throw it through the goalposts. He made it!
That meant Finnley walked away with $150,000, and another $150,000 was headed to the children's hospital.
Then, a couple of days later, McAfee announced he would donate the full $1 million to the hospital after all.
So, What Did Finnley Do With $150,000?
Finnley has a pretty big goal for her future. She wants to become a doctor, which means years of school and plenty of tuition bills.
She's planning to put her winnings toward medical school, making the money a huge head start on the career she wants.
But even with a future doctor’s budget to think about, she decided she could use a little reward for herself, too.
Her first fun purchase? An $850 LEGO Millennium Falcon.
Yes, the giant spaceship from Star Wars. (Pictured Below)
The LEGO set costs $850 on LEGO's website, making it a pretty memorable purchase after winning $150,000 on live television.
Who says you can't save for medical school and build a spaceship at the same time?