12 Facts About Eddie Timanus

Eddie Timanus was born on August 9,1968 and is a USA Today sportswriter and game show contestant who grew up in Reston, Virginia, then graduated from Wake Forest University.

Eddie Timanus has been blind since early childhood due to retinoblastoma.

Eddie Timanus was born on August 9,1968, in St Joseph, Missouri.

At age three, Eddie Timanus had an operation to remove tumors from his eyes, leading to his blindness.

Eddie Timanus began attending sporting events with his father at age six, and Eddie Timanus started keeping statistics at age 11.

Eddie Timanus graduated from Wake Forest University in 1990 with a degree in economics.

Eddie Timanus was the first blind contestant to compete on the show.

Eddie Timanus won five consecutive games and then, in accordance with the rules in effect at that time, retired undefeated.

Eddie Timanus's winnings totaled US$69,700 plus two new cars, and he was invited back for the 2000 Tournament of Champions in Atlanta, Georgia, reaching the semifinals and winning $5,000 there.

In 2000, Eddie Timanus acted as a lifeline on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.

When Eddie Timanus used the phone-a-friend lifeline, host Meredith Vieira would read the question and the four choices to the friend that he chose to call and would remind him how much time was remaining on the 30 seconds used for that lifeline.

Eddie Timanus writes the preview section for college football games.