Powerball · United States · 11 June 2014
Cockrum, a Knoxville resident, bought a Powerball ticket ahead of the 11 June 2014 draw and only checked the numbers the following morning, while rushing his mother to a medical appointment. The selling retailer was not identified in the coverage reviewed.
Advertised prize
$259,800,000
Cash value $153,000,000
Ticket
Not documented
Outcome
Gave it away
Gave away most or all of the prize.
Roy Cockrum, 58, of Knoxville held the only ticket matching all six numbers in the 11 June 2014 Powerball draw, an advertised $259.8 million and then the largest Powerball jackpot won in Tennessee. He discovered the win on 12 June while rushing his mother to a medical appointment, and claimed on 3 July 2014, taking the cash option of about $153 million, reported as $115,147,525.50 after taxes. Cockrum had worked more than 20 years as an actor and stage manager before joining the Society of Saint John the Evangelist, an Episcopal religious community in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he was known as Brother Roy and, as ABC News reported, lived under a vow of poverty. "It's going to be my job to work very hard to make sure that every single penny of this prize is a blessing to whoever it touches," he said, citing his late father's rule: tithe a tenth, save a tenth, spend the rest wisely. He committed roughly $60 million to the Roy Cockrum Foundation, which funds non-profit theatre across the United States.
(2024) The Tennessean reported in June 2024 that Cockrum, then 67, was a principal financial backer of the new musical "Knoxville", due to premiere at the University of Tennessee's Clarence Brown Theatre in autumn 2024. His foundation's documented grants include $1.8 million for a three-part "Henry 6" at San Diego's Old Globe and $1.2 million for apprentice stipends at Actors Theatre of Louisville.
One detail worth keeping
His foundation paid $1.8 million for a three-part "Henry 6" at San Diego's Old Globe and $1.2 million for apprentice stipends at Actors Theatre of Louisville.
Cheng 'Charlie' Saephan
Ended in tragedyPowerball · United States · 2024
$1,326,000,000
Laiza Chao joked to the Saephans before the draw that they were already "billionaires"; her $100 stake in a 20-ticket batch made it true.
Theodorus Struyck
Stayed privatePowerball · United States · 2023
$1,765,000,000
He bought the second-largest winning ticket in Powerball history about 500 yards from his own front door, at a cabin he had paid $90,000 for in 2010.
Edwin Castro
Went wellPowerball · United States · 2022
$2,040,000,000
The draw ran a day late: Minnesota's sales-verification system held up all 48 lotteries, so the $2.04bn numbers were drawn at 8:57 a.m. ET on 8 November 2022.
Manuel Franco
Stayed privatePowerball · United States · 2019
$768,400,000
He told reporters he had under $1,000 in his bank account when he spent $10 on the quick picks that won $768.4 million.
Cheng 'Charlie' Saephan
Ended in tragedyPowerball · United States · 2024
$1,326,000,000
Laiza Chao joked to the Saephans before the draw that they were already "billionaires"; her $100 stake in a 20-ticket batch made it true.
Theodorus Struyck
Stayed privatePowerball · United States · 2023
$1,765,000,000
He bought the second-largest winning ticket in Powerball history about 500 yards from his own front door, at a cabin he had paid $90,000 for in 2010.
Saltines Holdings, LLC (Miami, Florida)
Stayed privateMega Millions · United States · 2023
$1,602,000,000
The biggest Mega Millions winner in history is a company: Saltines Holdings, LLC of Miami. The Publix that sold the $2 Quick Pick collected a $100,000 retailer bonus.
Edwin Castro
Went wellPowerball · United States · 2022
$2,040,000,000
The draw ran a day late: Minnesota's sales-verification system held up all 48 lotteries, so the $2.04bn numbers were drawn at 8:57 a.m. ET on 8 November 2022.
Every figure and quotation above comes from these.
Last verified: 2026-09-13