Tribute to Kolstad helps Minnesota State player win on 'Price Is Right'
Jeffrey Raymond was so nervous, he couldn't stop shaking enough to properly pin the lapel microphone to his T-shirt.
The senior Minnesota State defensive tackle appeared on Tuesday's edition of "The Price is Right," winning a pair of trips to New York and Paris. His victorious price estimate in the show's "Showcase Showdown" served as homage to former teammate Isaac Kolstad, who's recovering from head trauma suffered in a Mankato bar fight last summer.
Raymond's $22,000 bid -- complete with a verbal "22 strong" reference to the support campaign named for Kolstad's jersey number -- won him the excursions, a home theater system with a Blu-Ray player, cooking lessons, a fridge, oven and dishwasher. But more importantly, he said, it allowed him to pay the latest tribute to Kolstad.
"Before the bid, I was thinking about it, and I knew if it was going to be somewhere around there I really felt like I had to do 22 for Isaac," Raymond said. "He's been such an inspiration for so many people, so I thought it'd be cool to give him a shout-out on national television. After they showed the items, I looked into the crowd, and everyone was telling me to bid a dollar because they thought the other person overbid -- which she did. But all my guys in the crowd were throwing up the twos, so I had to go with 22."
Those guys, seated just behind Contestant's Row, were Raymond's buddies Kyle Riggott, Bryce Duncan and Gabe Wolfe, all of whom either played or still play for Minnesota State. The four roommates spent spring break in Los Angeles this year and decided to take in the March 10 taping of a show they usually watch together at home.
"Price is Right" live viewership requires a pre-show interview process to see which audience members might make good contestants. Raymond said he and his friends waited about five hours in line before taking their seats.
"I thought us four did pretty well and there was a good chance one of us might get called up," Raymond said. "Lo and behold, the fourth one they called up there was me. It was pretty crazy."
When announcer George Gray told Raymond to "come on down," nerves overtook the 6-foot-2, 295-pound Edgar, Wis., native. "I couldn't believe it," he said.
A $1 bid landed Raymond on stage with Drew Carey to play the "Range Game." That didn't go so well, as Raymond incorrectly guessed a home theater system cost between about $6,280 and $6,430 when it actually was worth $6,269.
But the "22 strong" wager offered him some redemption.
Kolstad watched the show during his Tuesday morning physical-therapy session at the Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute in Golden Valley. Raymond spoke with him on the phone that night and said his old friend is in great spirits.
Kolstad suffered brain damage in a May 2014 fight involving former Gophers quarterback and Mankato native Philip Nelson. Nelson was kicked off the Rutgers football team following the incident and reached a plea bargain in March that allowed him to avoid any jail time.
Kolstad, 25, continues to progress thanks to intensive speech, occupational and physical therapy since coming out of a coma. His father Blaine Kolstad and brother Abe Kolstad will embark Thursday on a 3,300-mile, 7-10 week bike trip from Oregon to New Jersey dubbed "Coast 22 Coast" to raise money for brain and spinal-cord injury patients.
Raymond, meanwhile, has one season of eligibility and one semester of classes remaining. He said he plans to sell most of his haul to cover the taxes levied on it but is looking forward to visiting New York and France.
"I've got no need for a new kitchen," said Raymond, who redshirted last season but played in 12 games in 2013. The Mavericks lost to Colorado State Pueblo in last season's Division II national championship game.
