Date of First Appearance:
May 16, May 20, May 22-23 1997 (1997 College Tournament)
Total Winnings:
$25,000 and a 1998 Volvo S70 GLT from my college tournament win. $1,000 from the Tournament of Champions.
Nickname Associated with Performance:
Right after it, I would get occasional shouts of "It's that Jeopardy! guy", but that has rightfully since faded.
Record Held/Stats:
1997 College Tournament Champion (as a Freshman)
Favorite Anecdote associated with being on the show:
The College Tournament is a neat thing, in that you get to meet other smart people from around the country, all about your same age. During the taping, a number of us became friends and thanks to email access, some of us have remained friends over the course of the years. Two of my fellow contestants, Mark Urciuolo of Marist and Brigid Laurie of Bryn Mawr, began dating after meeting on the show and now will be getting married in April of 2005. I'll be at the wedding as one of their few friends who was there when they met.
Did being on Jeopardy! affect your life?
I often kid that I am one of the few competitors I can think of who won a "professional" title before a collegiate title. (After winning on Jeopardy!, I helped the University of Michigan win the 1998 and 2000 College Bowl National Championships and my Michigan alumni team, the Mike Keenan Employment Agency, win the TRASH pop culture trivia national title in 2000 and 2003. No money for me there, but a great deal of pride in helping the Maize and Blue.) And certainly not having a car payment has been a wonderful thing. Anymore, the big thing is having my students (or parents) ask me about having been on Jeopardy! since I won't tell them, they have to find out on their own, and somehow, they always manage to do so. I think the biggest thing is that when you grow up watching Jeopardy! and you think "I can do that" and then when you get the chance to do so and it ends up going so well, it certainly gives you a sense of accomplishment.
Did you do anything crazy with my winnings?
Since I don't think paying my taxes is crazy, I'll say the wackiest thing I did was buy the complete Led Zeppelin boxed set, which I still feel is a great investment. Beyond that, nothing really.
Is there anything else I would like viewers to know about:
Nothing much, I just hope they are as excited the concept of a "ultimate tournament" as much as I am excited to get a chance to play in it. |
"In 1997 he won the College Championship. Today he's an Advanced Placement history teacher. From Livonia, Michigan..."
2005 Ultimate Tournament of Champions Round 1 player: $5,000.
1998 Tournament of Champions quarterfinalist: $2,500.
1997 College Champion: $25,000 + a 1998 Volvo S70 GLT + a trophy.
Blog at cdbarker.blogspot.com. |
