Harold Diamond, a 80-year-old retired principal, has gained a brand new status, which is the biggest winner in state lottery history, since he nailed the largest ever NY lottery jackpot as reported on Monday. The man who once activated as a school principal in Sullivan County drew the golden ticket from a $326 million Mega Millions game two months ago, after he and his wife stopped for a fugitive late night meal somewhere in the area, due to bad weather conditions.

The man feels grateful to his wife who insisted to get into that place where they bought the ticket from. He thinks that if it weren’t for her and her appetite that evening, the mega prize would have never hit their pockets. Diamond accidentally found out that he may be the actual winner by the time he was playing golf the second day after he bought the ticket. His colleagues were talking about the winning numbers and some story about the ticket being purchased at a Valero on Route 302.

That moment, it all sparkled in Harold’s head. He contacted the lottery officials just before Christmas and opted for the lump over 30 annual payments. This way, the retired educator will get $197.45 million, which stands for state and federal taxes. The owner of the Valero station where the lucky man got his ticket will be rewarded with $10,000.