Ohio U. Lineman Wins $250,000 in Lottery

Rivals.com Staff

Ohio coach Frank Solich might want to ask Mike Eynon for advice before making any fourth-down calls this season. It seems the senior offensive lineman already knows a thing or two about picking winners.

Eynon won a $250,000 prize Tuesday after buying a Mega Millions game ticket at a Shop Mart in Athens, Ohio. The winnings will equate to about $172,500 after federal and state taxes, The Columbus Dispatch reported.

Success apparently hasn't spoiled the accounting major from Westlake, Ohio. After returning to the Shop Mart on Wednesday to confirm he had a winning ticket, Eynon went to football practice later that day.

"It hasn't settled in yet," Eynon told the Dispatch. "I've been out throwing footballs, and it's still the same routine."

According to the paper, Eynon said he planned to give some money to his church and family before investing the rest. Jason Corriher, a spokesman for the Ohio athletic department, told the Dispatch that Eynon's winnings wouldn't affect his NCAA eligibility.

The odds of matching the five-number tickets in the Mega Millions game, excluding the Mega Ball, are one in 3,904,701, the Dispatch reported. If Eynon had also matched the Mega Ball, he would have won the $34 million jackpot.

"Everyone was like, 'Dude, you were one number off,' '' Eynon told the paper. "I was like, 'I'm satisfied.' This is awesome either way."

Eynon will try to overcome long odds one more time a month from now. Ohio's second game of the season is Sept. 6 at Ohio State.

The Other One wrote:

Rivals.com Staff

Ohio coach Frank Solich might want to ask Mike Eynon for advice before making any fourth-down calls this season. It seems the senior offensive lineman already knows a thing or two about picking winners.

Eynon won a $250,000 prize Tuesday after buying a Mega Millions game ticket at a Shop Mart in Athens, Ohio. The winnings will equate to about $172,500 after federal and state taxes, The Columbus Dispatch reported.

Success apparently hasn't spoiled the accounting major from Westlake, Ohio. After returning to the Shop Mart on Wednesday to confirm he had a winning ticket, Eynon went to football practice later that day.

"It hasn't settled in yet," Eynon told the Dispatch. "I've been out throwing footballs, and it's still the same routine."

According to the paper, Eynon said he planned to give some money to his church and family before investing the rest. Jason Corriher, a spokesman for the Ohio athletic department, told the Dispatch that Eynon's winnings wouldn't affect his NCAA eligibility.

The odds of matching the five-number tickets in the Mega Millions game, excluding the Mega Ball, are one in 3,904,701, the Dispatch reported. If Eynon had also matched the Mega Ball, he would have won the $34 million jackpot.

"Everyone was like, 'Dude, you were one number off,' '' Eynon told the paper. "I was like, 'I'm satisfied.' This is awesome either way."

Eynon will try to overcome long odds one more time a month from now. Ohio's second game of the season is Sept. 6 at Ohio State.

I think that's the best use of lottery winnings I've heard of to date, especially from a young fella like he. Seems like a lot of people take a trip through the looney zone with their winnings.