LA CROSS, Wis. (WLAX/WEUX) – Punt for a Pickup. Sounds simple, right?

Punt a football into a truck… win the truck.

Did I mention that the ball must land in the truck on the fly and come to rest in the bed of the truck… and the truck will be 40 yards away?

That makes things far less straightforward. However, that is precisely what we asked our registrants to do when Fox 25/48 partnered with US Cellular for the first-ever Punt for Pickup Contest. Hundreds signed up and 25, randomly drawn, Semi-finalists were chosen. Of those 25, 8 Finalists were randomly selected to try their best at winning a brand-new Ford F-150 from Dahl Automotive. Each of the semi-finalists received a prize pack with a JBL Speaker, Universal 3-way Charger and other gifts. They and a guest also got to enjoy a meal from Big Boar BBQ and a tailgate atmosphere to, no pun intended, kick off the football season.

As strange as it seems to say, a successful afternoon was held without having an actual “winner” of the contest. Each of the 8 put their best feet forward, however, despite a couple of punts getting close to the prized pickup, I don’t believe anyone one from the NFL, UW-La Crosse, or local high school will be beating down the doors of our contestants because of their punting prowess.  Unfortunately, no one drove away with a new truck that day, but it is safe to say all that attended went away entertained, well fed. We did give away tickets to the Green Bay-Detroit, Thursday night, game later this month and we gave away the Packers branded football used during the contest.  

A magnanimous thank you to our partners, US Cellular, and especially Chris and the team at their Onalaska location, Dahl Auto for the beautiful F-150, Big Boar BBQ for feeding everyone with their delicious food, every single person that took the time to register for the contest, all 25 of our amazing Semi-Finalists, everyone that came together to make the first ever Punt For a Pickup such a success.

What’s next? Who knows? Maybe we Full Court for a Freighter… or Hat Trick for a Helicopter… or Take a Hit for a Tank. The options are limitless.  Until then, keep your eyes open for the next big thing from Fox 25/48 and WIProud.com.