On a weekend when the ACC honored its first class of Football Legends, freshman John Bonacci secured a piece of ACC football history for himself. Bonacci won the inaugural Dr Pepper Road Tour Scholarship Skills Competition, garnering a $10,000 scholarship for his efforts.

Bonacci’s path to Jacksonville began on Sept. 30, the day before the Homecoming game against Virginia. Dr Pepper, as part of an advertising contract with the ACC, held events at each ACC campus the day before each school’s Homecoming game. Students were invited to participate in a throwing contest, with the winner receiving an all-expenses paid trip for four to the ACC Championship game.

Bonacci, an avid college football fan, signed up for the event, which was held on La Plata Beach.

“I’m guessing 300 to 400 people were there,” Bonacci, a business major, said.

Among the 65 who made it through the first round were Bonacci and Dan Brown, a freshman communication and kinesiology major. The two became fast friends while waiting for their chance to throw in the finals. Both made the first 25-yard throw, setting up a sudden death situation. Bonacci, although nervous that he would now have to throw again, was happy for Brown.

“As I was becoming friends with him, we were pulling for each other. I would have rather lost to him than anyone else there,” Bonacci said. However, after both missed a second try at the 25-yard throw, and then both missed again from 20 yards, only Bonacci was able to toss the ball through from 15 yards, sealing his trip to Jacksonville with his father.

Bonacci played center field and second base for his high school in Staten Island and never got the chance to play football in front of his father.

“I was always too small,” Bonacci said.

However, size did not stop him from becoming a fan of the game. Admittedly a Florida State fan prior to coming to the university, Bonacci was supposed to see the Seminoles play last year for his birthday. The trip was postponed, however, because of a hurricane.

This time around, the weather remained clear for the trip to Jacksonville. Bonacci was looking forward to the weekend as a chance to spend time with his father. He drew motivation from his family. He wanted to help his parents pay for his tuition.

“It had nothing to do with personal pride. I want to pay my parents back for sending me to Maryland,” Bonacci said.

Jacksonville was a whirlwind of activities for Bonacci. On Friday, at the first ACC Legends Dinner, Bonacci got to meet former ACC legends Bruce Smith, Joe Hamilton and Jeff Davis. Jack Scarbath, Maryland quarterback from 1950-1952 and former Heisman Trophy runner-up, the closest any Maryland player has ever come, was also in attendance.

For Bonacci, the culminating moment of the weekend came at 6 p.m., two hours before game time. Down on the field, he warmed up with the 12 other representatives of each school, plus each school’s respective mascot. Bonacci credited the warm-up with calming him down.

“Being on the field with Testudo and all the other mascots in costume and throwing the ball around loosened me up,” he said.

Bonacci advanced through nine competitors to the final round. He then made a 20-yard throw to advance to the finals with a senior from Florida State University.

Bonacci drilled the 15-yard attempt, and after his opponent missed, the celebration began.

“The local press came up to interview me, and they gave me one of those big fake checks like in the commercials on TV. My dad was so excited he hopped the fence to come over,” Bonacci said.

In Bonacci’s eyes, the weekend could not have gone better. He got a free trip to Jacksonville, met college football legends, won $10,000 and – most importantly – got to spend time with his father.

“It was the best experience of my life,” he said.

Contact reporter Jeff Amoros at newsdesk@dbk.umd.edu.