Last summer, James Luke paid $1,500 at the Wildc/kat Athletic Endowment Association auction for a birds-eye view of a Denver Broncos home game.

He returned home with a souvenir to boot.

Luke and a friend were seated right behind the Broncos bench during their match-up against the Tennessee Titans on Dec. 8. Luke said he got a great view of Bronco kicker Matt Prater when he set a new NFL record with a 64-yard field goal.

But the real treat came later in the game when Broncos defense tackle Terrance Knighton intercepted a deflected Titan pass. Knighton ran over to the crowd after the play and flipped the ball into the stands, right at Luke.

“There was a taller guy right in front of me, and I thought he was going to catch it, but he was celebrating and didn’t see it,” Luke said. “It pretty much hit me in the chest.”

Luke said he’s not sure what he’s going to do with the ball — people have offered him cash for it, but he might just end up giving it to the friend he went with to the game — a big Bronco fan.

Luke is a Dallas Cowboys fan, but he really enjoyed the game and the experience.

“You couldn’t ask for better tickets,” he said. “I’ll be bidding on it next year.”

The tickets were donated to the auction by the Dean Chisholm family. The Chisholms have season tickets and donate two to the endowment each year.

The endowment fund supports a host of expenses Columbia Falls School District 6 normally is unable to cover each year. The annual auction, held during Heritage Days each year, is its major fundraiser.