Dreams can come true in Reno, on and off the lanes
Most bowlers at the USBC Open Championships are excited when they bowl
well enough to claim a share of the tournament's prize fund, but John
Johnson of Golden, Colo., managed to become a multimillionaire before
he even stepped on the tournament lanes.
Shortly after exiting his flight to Reno, Johnson put $20 into an
airport slot machine, and minutes later, he was the winner of the $10,422,754.08
Megabucks MegaJackpot.
"When it hit, we all kind of looked at each other and wondered
what happened," Johnson said. "I kept telling my wife that
something was going to go well this week, whether it was bowling well
or winning something, but I never could have imagined winning $10 million."
"The Biggest Little City in the World" has become a special
destination for the 36-year-old Johnson and his teammates. Three of
Johnson's six USBC Open Championships appearances have come at Reno's
National Bowling Stadium, and while in town for the 2007 event, he and
his wife, Stephanie, were married.
Johnson, a mechanical designer for BCER Engineering near Denver, tried
not to let his big win and the flurry of media requests that followed
distract him from helping Kamikaze Keglers on the tournament lanes.
The right-hander posted games of 222, 138 and 192 for a 552 series and
helped his team to a 2,566 total.
For more on the Open Championships, including updated leaderboards
and live web cams, visit BOWL.com.
