Winnipeg kicker wins Pope-mobile, $42,000

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This article was published 20/10/2012 (4745 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

TORONTO — Rich Pope of Winnipeg failed to win the million dollars in Friday’s Wendy’s Kick for a Million at halftime of the Bombers-Argos game at Rogers Centre, but he came away with quite a haul.

The 35-year-old managed to make his field goals from 20 and 30 yards — good for a $25,000 gift card from the Source and a new Nissan Titan Pro-4x — before missing the final two, from 40 and 50 yards.

On the 50-yard kick, which would have earned him the million-dollar payout, Pope did manage to boot the ball 42 yards, earning him a consolation prize of $1,000 for each yard kicked.

Combining his cash and the retail value of the other prizes, it was a night worth more than $112,000.

“I felt so good on those first two,” said Pope, an avid CFL fan who likes both the Bombers and Saskatchewan Roughriders (his bio says he likes the Riders just a little bit better).

“Then, I don’t know if was the nerves that got to me, just moving back that extra 10 yards or what is was. But I’m still happy no matter what.

“It was a great outcome.”

Pope had to go through several preliminary rounds in head-to-head competitions to reach Friday night’s final.

“Tonight, there was less tension I felt because I knew what exactly what I was going to do,” he said. “All I had to do was kick from the 20, 30, 40 and 50. Whereas in the quarter-final and semifinal, I had to plan what the other guy might do and what I would do if I got to kick first or second. There was a lot of strategy in those rounds. This was easier.”

Despite missing the final two kicks, Pope was positively gushing afterwards.

“That’s a good haul for what, five, 10 minutes worth of work,” he said.

tim.campbell@freepress.mb.ca