By ADAM NICHOLS
NY POST
December 12, 2008 --
Who says watching sports all day doesn't pay?
A Brooklyn football fan won $1 million by predicting the results of 25 games in a row in an ESPN competition - and snatched the prize with a furious fourth-quarter NFL rally.
"I thought I'd lost it," Samuel Louis-Charles said yesterday, recalling how his final forecast - the Pittsburgh Steelers beating the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday - seemed lost.
Halfway through the fourth quarter, the Steelers were down 13-3 - and Louis-Charles turned off the TV.
"I thought the game was over," he said. "I turned off the TV, I thought to myself, 'Oh well, it's been a good run,' and I went to work."
It was two hours later that Louis-Charles' sister called with news of Pittsburgh's amazing comeback.
"I really didn't believe her," he said. "I didn't believe it until I saw it on TV.
"I thought, 'Wow!' I nearly screamed."
Louis-Charles, 31, who grew up in Flatbush and Crown Heights and moved to Florida earlier this year, was the first player to win ESPN.com's "Streak For The Cash" competition.
The contest offered $1 million to the first person who could put together a run of 25 straight successful predictions.
Louis-Charles, a fan of the Giants, Knicks and Yankees, concentrated his picks on NBA and college football games.
"I bet with my heart, but I also tried to bet smart," he said. "You've got to pay attention, break down the game stats and know everything. I spent a lot of time in front of the TV."
Despite starting with five consecutive losses, he began to put together his impressive list of wins in the past 14 weeks - leading up to Sunday's game.
He was the first of more than 1.1 million registered contestants to successfully pick 25 in a row. Two others had reached 24 and lost on their last pick.
Louis-Charles thought he was destined for the same fate. But the Steelers staged a huge comeback in the final minutes.
After a field goal made the score 13-6, Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger drove his team down the field for a game-tying touchdown with just over two minutes remaining. Then Steelers cornerback Deshea Townsend intercepted Dallas quarterback Tony Romo and returned it for a score to give the Steelers a 20-13 victory.
"I'm glad I didn't see it live," Louis-Charles said. "That would have been too exciting to watch."
Now the UPS package handler - who hasn't decided if he'll keep his job - is planning how to spend the cash.
Along with buying a house, he wants to give gifts to the people who helped make him rich.
"I've got to get a gift for Townsend," he said.
"And also something for Romo. . . . Those two deserve something really thoughtful."
Wow..That is a huge run,can't imagine what he was feeling after found out tha the Steelers won..
I will be having a press conference on my big win later this afternoon. 😀
I will be having a press conference on my big win later this afternoon. 😀
I knew it was you 😀
I can't believe he was watching by himself at home and even turned the TV off in the middle of the game.
I can't believe he was watching by himself at home and even turned the TV off in the middle of the game.
I would have been home,lights off,phone turned off,doors locked and sweating my balls off. ;D
I can't believe he was watching by himself at home and even turned the TV off in the middle of the game.
I would have been home,lights off,phone turned off,doors locked and sweating my balls off. ;D
;D ;D ;D ;D