Pat McAfee Pledges $1M to Iowa Children's Hospital After GameDay Kicking Contest
Pat McAfee turned a missed field goal into a $1 million gift for the University of Iowa Health Care Stead Family Children's Hospital, announced Monday on his show. The pledge follows a weekend College GameDay appearance in Iowa City that raised $300,000 for a student and the hospital.
McAfee's October 5 announcement on The Pat McAfee Show came after his October 2 visit to the hospital and the October 3 kicking contest on the Pentacrest. The $1 million figure is separate from the $300,000 raised by Dallas Clark's throw.
“We will donate one million dollars to the University of Iowa Health Care Stead Family Children's Hospital. We would like to thank that hospital for everything that they do #PMSLive,” McAfee posted on October 5, referencing his earlier note about the Clark throw.
Hospital visit inspired the larger gesture
McAfee and his crew visited the hospital on October 2, the day before GameDay. He described playing tic-tac-toe, cornhole, coloring, and finger football with the kids, and praised the staff.
“We got the chance to go to the University of Iowa Health Care Stead Family Children's Hospital yesterday.. Everybody that we met really inspired us, and we're so thankful that we got to say hello... It's such a special place #CollegeGameDay,” he posted that afternoon.
McAfee said the staff should know “how much they empower and help everybody else,” and he thanked them “for their hospitality and for what they do.” He also hinted at future collaboration with the hospital.
How the $300,000 was raised
The $300,000 came from a raffle contest. Finley Banfig, an Iowa freshman and biology pre-med student, won the chance to kick. She hoped to pursue orthopedic surgery and needed help with school costs.
Under the rules, she chose to take the attempts herself. One try came barefoot after McAfee noted she was going shoeless, and he later called another attempt a $2 million kick. She missed both.
Former Iowa and NFL tight end Dallas Clark then stepped up and threw the ball through the uprights. That secured $150,000 for the student and $150,000 for the Iowa Children's Hospital, totaling $300,000.
GameDay weekend in Iowa City
Iowa City was Week 5 of the 2026 kicking contest. Through those first five weeks, roughly $4 million had gone to students and charity, with Home Depot matching McAfee's contributions this season. Cumulative contest totals across years had climbed past $9 million after the Iowa stop.
The hospital sits beside Kinnick Stadium, the same building fans face for the Hawkeye Wave at the end of the first quarter. College GameDay returned to the Pentacrest for the first time since 2006, with Caitlin Clark as a guest picker and Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz on set.
McAfee's $1 million pledge arrived two days after the $300,000 GameDay gesture and was framed as his own added commitment. Available statements do not explicitly say whether Home Depot's season matching covers this later pledge.
What this means for Iowa
The donation supports a hospital that serves children across the state, reinforcing McAfee's connection to Iowa and its community values. For Iowans, this is a reminder of the impact that national attention can bring to local institutions.
McAfee's pledge adds to a growing list of charitable efforts tied to his show, and it highlights the importance of supporting healthcare for children in the region.