Massachusetts soccer coach hits lottery jackpot, plans to help youth sports programs with portion of winnings

A soccer coach in Ludlow, Massachusetts plans to pay it forward after winning the grand prize on a lottery scratch ticket.

Gregory Kolodziey won $1 million on the "$1,000,000 Ultimate 7" scratch ticket, the Massachusetts Lottery said. He claimed his prize on Friday, opting to take a one-time cash payment of $650,000 before taxes.

"Kolodziey, a local soccer coach, said he plans to use some of his winnings to help youth sports programs in his hometown of Ludlow," the Lottery said in a statement.

Kolodziey was inducted into the Ludlow Athletics Hall of Fame as a coach last year - he was already a Hall of Famer as a former athlete. He was an assistant coach for Ludlow boys soccer for 21 years, and head coach of the high school team for 18 seasons, winning eight Western Mass titles and four state championships, according to the school. He earned his 200th win as a coach in 2024.

"You really can't be up on this stage without having great players, assistant coaches, and incredible support from your family and the Ludlow High administrators over the years," he was quoted as saying at his induction ceremony. "And that's exactly what I've had."

Kolodziey claimed the fifth and final $1 million jackpot in the $5 instant game. The odds of winning the grand prize were 1 in 3,024,000.

He bought the ticket at Liquor Mart in Chicopee. The store gets a $10,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket.