Encouraged by legendary Tennessee quarterback Peyton Manning, Colby Lamb became a million-dollar man over the weekend.
Lamb, a sophomore civil engineering major, made a field goal kick that was worth $1.5 million on Saturday during ESPN’s College GameDay show. Lamb received $1 million and $500,000 was donated to the Pat Summitt Foundation.
“Unbelievable. It doesn’t even feel real,” said Lamb, a Bristol, Tennessee native. “I haven’t slept in 38 hours. I’m super excited to tell my mom.”
The College GameDay show was in Knoxville for the football game between the University of Tennessee and the University of Texas. The field goal was part of a weekly kicking competition sponsored by GameDay personality and former NFL kicker Pat McAfee.
Lamb was selected to attempt the 33-yard kick through a raffle process for students who arrived early to the GameDay location at Ayres Hall. Lamb said he had never kicked a ball before he stepped onto the makeshift field.
Kicking barefoot and wearing an orange Manning Tennessee jersey with jeans, Lamb missed his first attempt wide right. But Manning advocated for Lamb to get another try, and Lamb booted the second attempt right down the middle.
The fans surrounding the GameDay set went crazy, and the large crowd already inside Neyland Stadium watching on the Jumbotron erupted into cheers when the kick was shown.
“The first attempt was super disappointing, but it felt good coming off the foot. I felt if they give me a second chance, it’s going to be money,” Lamb said. “After that, I just went up there, did exactly what I did the first time, and got a little lift and it was celebration time after that.”
Investing in education
Lamb already knows how he wants to spend his $1 million.
“It’s to pay off school, pay off my best friend’s school, and pay off my sister’s school,” he said. “That is the first thing I want to do. It’s all going to our school and investing in the future.”
Told that he was smart for being so practical with his financial windfall, Lamb quipped, “That is why I chose engineering I guess.”
Lamb’s best friend, Jackson Norris, a fellow civil engineering major, accompanied Lamb to College GameDay. They have known each other since middle school, and Norris said he’s the “president of Colby’s fan club.”
Lamb got his No. 16 Manning jersey signed by the Hall of Famer, and Norris told Lamb, “You better frame it. You better never wear it again.”
About 15 minutes after he made the kick, Lamb was still shaking with excitement. He had tears in his eyes, and his voice was nearly gone from screaming. Lamb returned to the now-empty GameDay field to retrieve his phone. He needed to finally call his mom.
“My gosh, that was unbelievable. Everybody was cheering me on. There was nobody who doubted me,” Lamb said. “Everybody was awesome. The atmosphere at Tennessee is unreal. I love it here. I’m so glad to be studying here. I’m so glad that I’m going to have my future invested here.”
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