in an upset even more surprising than the blue devils victory over the slightly favored wisconsin badgers , sam holtz , a 12-year-old sixth grader from lake zurich , illinois , beat out 11.5 million entries to win the annual espn tournament challenge .
for that prize , valued at $ 30,000 , sam would have to legally be an adult as contest rules state individuals must be at least 18-years-old to qualify .