Daniel Villasenor (center) celebrates his successful field goal during ESPN's College GameDay show.
(Photo by Phil Ellsworth/ESPN)Precision under pressure
It was in the early morning of October 5 when ESPN set up on Memorial Glade for College GameDay. This was the first time the sports channel brought its hugely popular pre-game show — running since 1987 — to Bear Territory. A few hours into the broadcast, thousands of Cal fans trained their eyes on Daniel Villasenor, a sophomore in civil engineering who’d been on-site since 11 p.m. the night before, as he took on the program’s field goal challenge.
Wearing a pair of weathered Vans slip-on shoes, Villasenor strode up to the football and missed his first attempt. Host Pat McAfee then made an offer: if Villasenor successfully made his next try, not only would he up the prize from $75,000 to $100,000, but he’d add in an extra $100,000 to College Game Day’s hurricane relief donation.
As Oski, Cal cheerleaders and sign-waving fans intently watched, Villasenor took his second 33-yard shot, which easily cleared the goal posts. The crowd erupted into a frenzy of cheers and wild celebration. The kick quickly went viral across social media — and Villasenor, a soccer player who’d only attempted just a few field goals in his life, became a new and surprising legend in Cal football lore.