BY ERIC PESOLA

Dec. 12, 2006

It was a whirlwind for Jeff Spoeri '87. He flew to the West Coast from his home in Florida and left two days later with a cool $105,103 in winnings. No, he did not strike it rich at the slots in Las Vegas. His payday was directly related to how many times he could respond correctly in the form of a question -- on Jeopardy! And while he enjoyed the experience and can't wait to compete in the upcoming Tournament of Champions, Spoeri's life has spun back into normalcy.

"No strangers off the street have said 'Hey, you're on Jeopardy!,'" said Spoeri, who is the director of development for the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science at Florida Atlantic University. In addition to his government degree from William and Mary, he holds a master's in education from Vanderbilt and a law degree from Washington University in St. Louis.

"But I didn't expect that to happen. I was visiting some friends for Thanksgiving and we were at a restaurant watching one of the episodes. As the credits were running, I happened to catch the eye of a woman behind me. She looked at the television and then back at me and said 'Is that your brother?' I said, 'No, it's me.' And she went back to what she was doing."

Spoeri stands as the highest winner for this 2006 season of the show, and 13th overall. An impressive feat, especially since he won all of his games in one day.

"They tape five shows a day on Tuesdays and Wednesdays," said Spoeri. "So, the five games that I won were all on the first day of taping, which was Tuesday. It was pretty grueling -- by the time I came back the next morning I just couldn't concentrate. My mind was quitting at that point."

Though he was defeated on his sixth consecutive appearance, Spoeri was thrilled to be a part of the show. A longtime fan, he signed up through an online contestant survey, and was selected for an interview with the Jeopardy! contestant search crew in Orlando. He wasn't sure if he would ever be called back to appear on the show. He was told that he was just one of 1,600 possible contestants for the 2006 television season.

"I got a phone call in August, saying that they'd like me to come out to L.A. in September for the taping," said Spoeri.

His wide range of knowledge and frequent trips both across the United States and abroad certainly helped him through the categories. In fact, he ran into a few that he dominated.

"I [answered all the questions correctly] in one category, and that was 'Pre-Civil War America'," said Spoeri. "It's the only category that I ran during the course of the show. I did surprisingly well on 'British Bodies of Water' -- I don't know why -- but I just did. Some of the word play categories were good. There was also one that I enjoyed called 'Baseball Movie Haiku.' That one was kind of fun."

It was in the "Pre-Civil War America" category that Spoeri encountered a question about his alma mater. It asked "On Dec. 5, 1776 this fraternity for students of academic distinction was founded at William & Mary."

"I was pleasantly surprised about that question," said Spoeri. "I remember that I'd better buzz in [with Phi Beta Kappa] or I'm going to be humiliated on national television -- at least by those who know where I went to school."

People have asked him if his days at the College helped prepare him for the experience on Jeopardy! He feels that in a way William and Mary helped him, not just with knowing answers to specific questions, but with becoming a well-rounded person with interests in many differing topics.

"My education at the College got me interested in music and theater to the point where that has become a true passion of mine," said Spoeri. "I sang in the William and Mary Choir for three years from 1984-87 and I toured Europe with the Choir. In fact that was the source of my first story on Jeopardy! when I was asked about signing in the Thomaskirche in what was then Leipzig, East Germany, and having a solo in that church and being able to rest my hand on the organ that Johann Sebastian Bach had played on when he was there -- and he was buried there. That was one of the stops on the William and Mary Choir tour in '87.

"So, rather than saying that my education has helped me with any specific clues, it was more that it helped prepare me generally for some of the categories that are particularly popular on Jeopardy!, particularly music and theater. Obviously it helped me with the Phi Beta Kappa clue!"

And as far as the quizmaster himself? Word from some former Jeopardy! contestants is that Mr. Trebek can be a little cool or even sometimes a bit snobbish. Spoeri had a different take.

"Alex was nice to me," said Spoeri. I had heard rumors going in that he was condescending and aloof. But he wasn't that way to me. People that I have talked to who have been on Jeopardy! have said that we got along because I struck up a rapport with early on.

"In my second episode, he asked me a question about the fact that I visit presidential gravesites. I collect places. I've been to all 50 states, I've been to 43 state capitals, I've been to 28 Major League Baseball stadiums for games. I've been to 33 presidential gravesites. He asked me about that and it makes me look like the maximum amount of a nerd that I can possibly be. He asked me 'Who is next on your list?' I said, 'Well, it depends on who dies next.' And he started to go back to the podium and then he stopped and laughed as if he was caught off guard by that. I think after that he seemed to like me."

After his apperance aired on Nov. 27, Spoeri says that regular daily life returned, and he has been able to resume his life as it was before his five-game winning streak.

"I have been getting a lot of e-mails from people who have known me for the past 20 years or so, and that has been interesting," said Spoeri. "People out of the blue from high school and college. I got an e-mail from my freshman year roommate the other day, who is an instructor at the government department there, Mike Tierney '87. It was funny because that day I had received the research publication from the College and his picture was in there. It was really weird because we hadn't had any contact in almost 20 years."

Spoeri is excited about his return trip to the show -- all five-time winners are invited back to the Tournament of Champions, a playoff-style format where the smartest of the past season compete for even bigger prizes. As of now, he's unsure of when he'll actually get to compete, but he's sure that he will do well or enjoy trying.

"There's been no official word from the Jeopardy! folks," said Spoeri. "The only thing I know is that when I left the show after the sixth game, they said 'See you for the Tournament.'"

The William and Mary Alumni Association will make sure to post the date of Spoeri's Tournament of Champions appearance as soon as it is known.