Law Student Finds Unique Way to Tackle Debt: Throwing Footballs

Tyler Gordon, who is a third-year law student at West Virginia University College of Law, plans to use the $100,000 he won in a college football halftime contest sponsored by Dr. Pepper to reduce his $140,000 in education loans.

December 11, 2019 at 02:46 PM

5 minute read

It's finals season at law schools across the country, but one third-year law student at West Virginia University has more than just exams on his mind. Tyler Gordon is pondering the $100,000 he won in a nationally televised football-throwing competition last weekend.

Gordon won the money Dec. 7 in the Dr. Pepper Tuition Challenge during the Big Ten Championship in Indianapolis, where he threw 20 footballs into an oversized soda can from five yards away in 30 seconds—beating out his competitor. His win has generated a lot of media interest in West Virginia, as well as in the Christian press, after Gordon said on air after his win: "I want to thank God from the bottom of my heart. If you do not believe in him, I pray that you would soon become a believer."

Law.com caught up with Gordon a few days after his big win to find out how he ended up on the football field, how his classmates have reacted, and what about law school prepared him for the high-stakes situation. His answers have been edited for length and clarity.

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