INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Pat McAfee called it the best kick in College GameDay history.

Zionsville native Connor Kacena-Merrell shocked the nation by making a 33-yard field goal to win $1.2 million Saturday morning on ESPN’s College GameDay.

The 19-year-old University of Texas-Austin freshman camped out from 9 p.m. Friday night to ensure he was one of the first 300 people on line to receive a raffle ticket. Kacena-Merrell was the third number called, ultimately paving the way for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

“I was confident in my abilities, but when you get into that moment, there was definitely that added pressure to it, and you don’t know what’s going to happen,” Kacena-Merrell said.

But he nailed it, impressing McAfee, Kirk Herbstreit, Matthew McConaughey and the entire nation.

“It was crazy. My phone was blowing up,” Kacena-Merrell said. “It was definitely a process going through everything after, but I’m super excited, and it was such an amazing experience all around.”

Kacena-Merrell developed that leg strength at Park Tudor. He played football and was a captain on the soccer team for the Panthers. He even won a state championship with the soccer team.

The night before the biggest moment of his life, he was thinking of Indianapolis and how he could give back to a charity based right here in his hometown — Building Tomorrow.

“I had worked a little bit with Building Tomorrow before. They work to improve literacy rates in East Africa,” Kacena-Merrell said. “I found out that they’re the most dedicated, passionate people. They love what they do. They’re super hardworking. To then on Saturday have the opportunity to help them out again and work with them again it was a no brainer for me.”

Kacena-Merrell donated half of his GameDay winnings, plus made another kick for another $1 million during halftime of the Texas-Ohio State game. All of that adds up to a $1.1 million donation to Building Tomorrow.

“We’re almost going to be able to fill up a stadium full of kids that are going to be able to read, write and do math all because of (his) kicks. We’ll reach about 80,000 learners with the money that he’s raised,” said George Srour, Building Tomorrow’s co-founder and chief dreamer. “There’s something about paying it forward and just the bigger lesson. Like, yes, we benefit and we’re really grateful for that, but there’s also something bigger here and the fact that he’s helping teach a new generation of what giving looks like I think is really exceptional.”

Kacena-Merrell’s goal was to make as big of an impact as possible.

“I feel like I’m a pretty average kid from Indiana, pretty average college student, so being able to impact other people’s lives throughout that process is something that’s important to me,” Kacena-Merrell said. “A big part of having a fulfilling life is being able to expand your impact. That in my opinion is what makes a good life.”

A good life making other lives better.

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