Big winners ‘too country’ to change

ATLANTA – An ironworker and his wife said their days of living paycheck-to-paycheck were behind them after presenting the winning ticket Monday for a $275 million Mega Millions jackpot.

Robert and Tonya Harris said they also plan to replace their trailer home with a new house, and buy a four-wheel-drive truck.

“I was having to work overtime to make ends meet,” said Robert Harris, who quit his job as soon as he found out his ticket was a winner. “Now we don’t have to do that.”

The jackpot is the largest won by a single player in the history of the 15-year-old Georgia Lottery and the third largest in Mega Millions history, lottery officials said.

Robert Harris, 47, said he picked the winning numbers from Friday’s multistate drawing – 7, 12, 13, 19 and 22, plus the Mega Ball number 10 – by using his grandchildren’s birthdays.

“We’re not gonna change,” said Tonya Harris, wearing warmup pants and flip-flops. “I’m too country.”

The couple spent Sunday night at the Ritz-Carlton in Atlanta.

Lottery officials say the couple decided to take the lump sum: $167 million before taxes. They could have chosen an annuity of $10.5 million a year for 26 years.