James Whitehead IV knew for quite some time that ESPN had planned to air Sept. 16 its “College GameDay” show from the University of Mississippi where he attends school.

The show was a prelude to the Southeast Conference showdown between the Ole Miss Rebels and the Louisiana State University Tigers.

A finance major at Ole Miss, Whitehead knew one thing for sure about the event — that he would be there. Jokingly, in anticipation of Pat McAfee’s “Kicking is Easy” segment of the morning show, he told his father, James III, “I’m going to kick that field goal,” a feat that carries a $1 million reward.

The prediction came true for James, a Parkland High School graduate, when he split the uprights from 33 yards out on national television, winning the prize with what McAfee called the “best kick we ever seen (in the competition).”

“It’s unreal,” Whitehead said of the commotion that followed his successful kick. “The whole thing was amazing.”

2 a.m. arrival

To qualify for the kicking event, Whitehead arrived at the “GameDay” site, the Grove on the Ole Miss campus in Oxford, at 2 o’clock Saturday morning, joining about a half-dozen of his friends who had waited in line since 7 p.m. Friday. He related, “The first 300 to get in ‘GameDay’ get a ticket for a raffle, so we wanted to make sure we were early because it was a huge line.”

Whitehead said about 10 seconds before the winning raffle number was called, his best friend, Chris Diemidio, gave him what ended up being the winning ticket and the two made a pact that they’d share the prize if Whitehead got the chance to kick and make the field goal.

“I trust you with this,” Diemidio told Whitehead.

When the ticket number matched the one in Whitehead’s hand, “it was pretty rowdy,” he said. “I was super excited, tried to relax, drank some water,” he said of the ensuing 25 minutes before the attempt.

During that time, he telephoned a former high school soccer teammate for advice, noting, “He said take three steps back, two steps over and just kick it.”

Whitehead followed the advice, and, kicking barefooted, split the uprights to the amazement of onlookers and millions of television viewers.

“From the moment I kicked it until about five minutes after it went through the uprights, everything was a blur,” he said. “I had so much adrenaline running through me.”

To honor pact

True to his word, Whitehead said he will be sharing the winnings with Diemidio as they had agreed.

He also plans to make a contribution toward brain cancer research as his grandfather, Richard Magness, died of the disease. “He was an Air Force veteran, a nice guy,” Whitehead said.

He anticipates the funds will hit his bank account in the near future, which will also help him pay for his tuition. “Right now, I’m in the process of filling out paperwork that I need to submit,” he said.

Ever humble, he said the experience was something he will remember.

“Forget the money,” he said. “It was great to have the opportunity to do it and to meet Pat (McAfee). He’s a super nice guy and so much fun to be around.”

Local lineage

The successful former Parkland soccer player has a long local lineage of family in the Mahoning Township and Panther Valley areas. His father, James III, is one of three siblings of James Jr. and Susie (Pavlik) Whitehead of Mahoning Township.

James Jr. is a well-known and highly successful masonry businessman, and his wife is a former Jim Thorpe Area School District teacher who originates from Lansford.

James III, his brother, Corry, and his sister, Julia, are all graduates of Lehighton Area High School, where Corry was a kicker for the LAHS Indians football team.

The winning kicker’s great-grandfather, James Whitehead Sr., was a well-known retired Summit Hill policeman and a U.S. Army Infantry veteran of World War II who once served as the grand marshal of the Summit Hill Memorial Day Parade.