Gordon will compete in Dr. Pepper Tuition Giveaway
A college student with a good throwing arm will win $100,000 toward college tuition this weekend and that person could be Tyler Gordon, a WVU law student.
Gordon is a finalist in the 11th annual Dr. Pepper Tuition Giveaway, which will take place during the College Football Conference Championships. Gordon will travel to the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis to compete during the Big 10 Championship.
Finalists will take the field during a break in the game and attempt to throw the most footballs into an oversized Dr. Pepper can in 30 seconds.
“I’m in a lot of debt from seven years of schooling and so I’ve watched the conference championship games every year and I have always seen the Dr. Pepper toss,” he said.
With nothing to lose, he applied for the tuition giveaway. He never thought in his wildest dreams he would be picked as a contestant. Participants had to make a video to enter.
Gordon, who is from Beckley, said he loves the state. One of his goals is to become a U.S. attorney.
“Part of my desire to do that is because of the opioid crisis that we have in the state and the issues that we have with drug traffickers and distributors,” he said.
Gordon said law school tuition is around $20,000 and cost of living is around $20,000 a year for him. He’s in his third year with one semester to go.
Gordon said he’s nervous going into the competition but he’s been practicing a lot.
“My dad is a handyman. He was a carpenter for some time and so he built me a replica of the cans we will actually be using and my local high school donated some footballs for me to use. I have been practicing nonstop for the last couple of weeks,” he said.
Gordon said without a doubt this is the biggest opportunity he’s ever been presented.
“This will change my life in a number of ways. I just thank Dr. Pepper and thank God for giving me the opportunity to be in this situation,” he said.
Gordon will participate in a preliminary round with three other finalists on Friday. The final two will proceed to the final round where one will win the grand prize and the runner up will receive $25,000.
“I’m going to send the scholarship to my loan provider and take off a good portion of it,” he joked.
If he does win, he said, words can’t express how much it will mean to him and how excited he will be. He wants to make an impact in West Virginia as a long-term goal.
“I just want to stay in the state of West Virginia and do as much as I can for it,” he said.
