Former Oklahoma kicker Patrick O’Hara hasn’t played football in more than a year and was never considered a great kicker in college, and so he’s an extreme long shot to make an NFL team. But O’Hara believes he can make it, and some Oklahoma fans believe in him enough that they’re willing to put some money on it.
O’Hara posted a request for donations online, saying that he was hoping to raise $2,000 for travel to a regional combine in Detroit and to a training camp with a kicking specialist in Phoenix. O’Hara also included a personal plea, noting that his family is going through a rough time.
“As many of you know my mother is struggling with stage 4 cancer and money is very tight within my family. I would be beyond appreciative to gain a little bit of help to make the trip to these combines possible,” O’Hara wrote.
It took less than 48 hours for O’Hara to hit the $2,000 he requested, and the donations have still come in beyond that. He has now raised $2,595 from 37 donors. O’Hara told the Oklahoman he was a little reluctant to ask for money and didn’t expect so many people to donate so quickly.
“I was hesitant to launch it,” O’Hara said. “My family has been very tight on money and we were talking about flights and how expensive everything would be. I put together a little page and talked about chasing my dreams. I had no clue this would be so successful.”
Whether O’Hara is successful in his quest to make it to the NFL remains to be seen. But the generosity of some Oklahoma fans makes it possible.