First appearance:
May 1995
Total Winnings:
$25,000 and Volvo 850 GLT
1995 Tournament of Champions: $1,000
Do you have a nickname associated with your performance?
World Series Ben--Because of my intensity and big-time performance
Records/Stats:
1995 College Tournament Champion... possibly 1st freshman to win.
Favorite Jeopardy! Anecdotes:
I went to Durdy Nellie's while I was in Ireland on the recommendation of Mr. Trebek. My recollection is kind of hazy, but I think I had a good time. Thanks, Alex.
My friends always introduce me to strangers as their friend who was on Jeopardy! If it is not the best icebreaker in this media age, it is certainly in the top 10.
Did you do anything crazy with your winnings?
I purchased 4 junky cars and played demolition derby with them. I flipped one of these cars over a cow on I-35 South of Oklahoma City. I landed on the roof of my car and shot 100 yards down the highway. As I was hanging upside down watching sparks shoot into the cab of my Toyota Tercel Hatchback, on whose steering wheel I had a death grip, I remember thinking that I was crazy to buy such a little car.
Amazingly when the car finally dragged to a halt, I discovered that I had nary a bruise on my tender flesh. I crawled out of the broken window on the passenger side and ran across the interstate to escape the darting traffic and my broken car which I was certain was about to explode. Perhaps 20 seconds after I had made it to the other side of the road, a semi-truck lost control after hitting another cow on the highway--there were as many as four that had fallen off of some rancher's trailer--and collided with my car, sending it 50 yards north and into the ditch beyond the breakdown lane.
When I went to examine the car, it had been smashed to the height of a school desk, and the metal Teamsters button that I had in my front pocket was bent in half and lodged in the dashboard. Ironically, the 18-wheel truck that careened out of control because it collided with a cow was a Hiland Dairy Truck. After smashing my car, it jack-knifed on its side on the southbound side of I-35, shutting down the entire interstate for the duration of morning rush hour. This story was published in the nationally syndicated News of the Weird. Buying that car might be the craziest thing I did with my winnings.
Anything else you would like the viewers to know about you?
I am hoping this is a good auspice: My show is taping on the same day as the birthday of my great grandmother, Ferne Bradford. She persistently told me every Christmas after I turned 12 that I should go on Jeopardy! Beyond her gentility and fortitude while battling cancer, I admire her savvy and her insight. I love you, Mumma. |
"Representing the University of Oklahoma, he won the 1995 College Championship. Today he's an industrial scaleman from Dallas, Texas..."
2005 Ultimate Tournament of Champions Round 1 player: $5,000.
1995 Tournament of Champions quarterfinalist: $1,000.
1995 College Championship winner: $25,000 + a Volvo 850 GLT + a trophy. |
