PEOPLE: Meet the Fan Who Outlasted Sports Legends and Got $250K from Tom Brady

A 39-year-old P.E. teacher from Pennsylvania outlasted professional athletes and finished third at the Fanatics Games.

Matt Dennish, of York, Pa., took part in eight sports-themed skill competitions, featuring star athletes and fans while at Fanatics Fest over the weekend, coming in just behind UFC fighter Justin Gaethje and Tom Brady.

Dennish won a 2003-04 Topps Chrome Gold Refractor LeBron James rookie card, which he later sold to Brady in exchange for $250,000, plus a signed card and jersey from the seven-time Super Bowl champ.

For Dennish, the result was all part of his strategy, he told PEOPLE midway through the event.

“I was just trying to prepare as much as possible, but also stay calm and relaxed,” Dennish said.
“And I knew that's kind of what it was going to come down to, is the mental side of things. I know I have the skills to compete, which is when, in the moment, I can dial it in when the light's bright.”