College Football Fan Raises $3 Million in Beer Money, Donates It to Charity

Anheuser-Busch
Anheuser-Busch

Carson King made his debut on ESPN's "College GameDay" last month. The Iowa native -- and his now-viral "Busch Light Supply Needs Replenished" sign -- grabbed the attention of millions at the time. Now, what started as a light-hearted plea for extra beer money has turned the 24-year-old into a nationally recognized saint.

The sign, which advertised his Venmo username, sparked a quick reaction from TV viewers. King scored $400 in under 30 minutes, and by the end of the first day, that number had climbed to over $1,000. But because he's a better human than all of us (oh, c'mon, don't lie), he pledged "all but enough for a case of Busch Light" to the University of Iowa Children's Hospital. 

The donations kept rolling in too, and soon after, Venmo and Busch Beer vowed to match King's contributions. Now, nearly a month since his initial "GameDay" cameo, they've raised over $3 million. According to People, the ISU Cyclones fan presented the whopping $3,004,000 check to the Stead Family Children's Hospital on Friday, alongside patient Camdyn Reisner.

"They are amazing at what they do," King told the magazine this month. "The University of Iowa does the wave to the kids since the hospital overlooks the stadium, and being I’m an Iowa State University fan, I figured this would be my way to help out."

Naturally, the hospital is psyched about the gift. "We can't think -- our minds are blown by all of this! Thank you to everyone who helped reach this milestone. We're so grateful!"

King certainly earned his free case of beer.


Sign up here for our daily Thrillist email and subscribe here for our YouTube channel to get your fix of the best in food/drink/fun.
Megan Schaltegger is a staff writer at Thrillist. Follow her @MegSchaltegger