Curtis Stradford of Greensboro said it was a typical Saturday of chores and watching football until his favorite team, the 49ers, beat the Vikings and he won a $100,000 lottery prize.

Between fixing lights and the game, Stradford stopped by his “lucky” store, Sumner Food Mart and Hardware on Old Randleman Road in Greensboro, and bought one of the new Ruby Red 7s tickets.

“You talk about somebody’s eyeballs that got big when they saw that $100,000 prize,” said Stradford on Thursday as he and his wife claimed the prize. “The 49ers win. Win some money. Best Saturday ever and a good way to start off 2020.”

After required federal and state tax withholdings, Stradford took home $70,756. He said he and his wife planned to pay off student loans, do some home repairs, and take a cruise to Alaska – now with first-class plane tickets – to celebrate their sixth wedding anniversary.

“I didn’t believe it,” said Stradford, manager of an auto glass store. “Now, I’m just sitting here and it’s finally real.”

The $20 game began this month with four top prizes of $4 million and eight prizes of $100,000. Stradford won the first $100,000 prize.

Ticket sales from scratch-off games make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $700 million a year for education. For details on how lottery funds made a difference in all of North Carolina’s 100 counties, click on the “Impact” section of the lottery’s website.