Football-throwing dental student wins scholarship

When he finishes dental school and joins his chosen profession, Casey Vidovich will use his hands to work in extremely tight quarters with tiny tools. But something a little less delicate -- that would be his ability to hurl a football -- is helping him achieve his goal.

Vidovich, 24, and a second-year student at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas School of Dental Medicine, won a $123,000 scholarship last year as part of the Dr Pepper Million Dollar Tuition Giveaway.

Vidovich's windfall whirlwind began when his mother told him about the contest.

"My mom emailed me a link and told me to try it out, just because school's so expensive," said the Southern California native, who received his undergraduate degree at San Diego State University.

The first step was to tell organizers a little about himself.

"I made a one-minute video, just saying what I was doing, what I was going to school for," Vidovich said. "Just saying the money would really help out. I'm really deep in loans from undergraduate school and even bigger loans to pay for school here. That I'd like to go on and have my own practice after I graduate, that it would definitely help, because I could pay off a big chunk of the loans."

He is, it seems, being a bit too modest.

Karl Kingsley, an associate professor at the dental school, said he didn't see the video until Vidovich was on his way to the finals, but could understand why he was chosen.

In the video, Kingsley said, Vidovich is studying for a neuroanatomy test.

"He pointed out all the sections of the brain that are affected by Dr Pepper," Kingsley said, "linking two of his favorite things. I just love that. When I saw the video I thought it was hysterical," although, he conceded, "you'd have to be a science nerd."

A few weeks after submitting the video, Vidovich learned that he was among the five finalists who would compete for the grand prize. Dr Pepper flew him to Charlotte, N.C., to compete during the halftime of the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game between Virginia Tech and Florida State universities.

First, there would be a qualifying round the day before the game, in the stadium.

"No one was there, it was just us," Vidovich said.

They had to throw footballs into a hole from five yards away, and Vidovich was one of the two top qualifiers.

He and his opponent also did a tie-breaking round, just in case. Because the actual competition would be during halftime of the televised game, there wouldn't be extra time in the case of a tie. Vidovich made all 10 of his tosses, his competitor only nine.

Then, on the big day, the two competitors fired nine out of 10 balls into the hole to tie.

"They brought out another five balls, and we each threw all five of those," he said. And so the tie-breaker came into play and Vidovich had won a $123,000 scholarship.

He also would be pictured on Dr Pepper cans and featured in Dr Pepper commercials -- one on ESPN, and a sort of minidocumentary that will be shown during halftime of college games on the Fox Sports Net.

"It was pretty crazy," he said of the can. "I knew it was coming out and went to the store hoping to find it. I thought it was pretty cool."

And, though he didn't realize it, he would achieve some measure of fame. While family and close friends knew about his big win, a lot of others did not.

"I had a bunch of friends and relatives calling and writing," Vidovich said. He remembers being told, "I went and bought some Dr Pepper and your face is on the can!"

"I just find myself laughing every time," he said. "It's still just kind of surreal. It's almost like it's never going to sink in. It's pretty awesome."

The can mentions that Vidovich is "reaching out to underserved communities and teaching kids about dental hygiene." That, he said, is part of one of his courses, which involves students going out to local elementary schools.

"We brought along a big plastic mouth with teeth and showed them how to brush and floss, how cavities are formed, different ways to prevent them," he said.

Vidovich said he's not sure where he wants to practice when he graduates. He may return to Orange County.

"I could also see myself staying here (Las Vegas)," he said. "It's kind of grown on me."

Thanks to the scholarship, his future looks a lot brighter. Vidovich estimates it will cover about half of his dental school tuition.

"It has taken a load off my mind," he said. "Stress levels have decreased. I've been able to focus a little harder on school."

Kingsley is pleased at the outcome.

"There was some consternation about whether they should let him go because he would miss class," he said. He wasn't surprised by Vidovich's athletic prowess, because Vidovich and another student frequently throw a football around outside during breaks.

"I think he's incredibly deserving," Kingsley said. "He's completely charming. He's fun to have in class. I think he's going to make a great dentist."

Contact reporter Heidi Knapp Rinella at hrinella@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0474.