Coach Jason Fitzgerald directs players from the sidelines.Survey says, Jason Fitzgerald could be a huge winner tonight. The first-year Meigs County coach will lead the Tigers into the first round of the TSSAA football playoffs, and he and four family members will take another swing at $20,000 on the "Family Feud."
The Fitzgerald family, who taped their appearance on the popular TV game show in May, won $940 in the episode that aired Thursday and will be the returning champs on today's broadcast. As for his day job, Fitzgerald has rallied a complete turnaround for the Tigers, who went 2-8 last year but are 6-4 heading into tonight's Class 2A game at Knox Grace.
Jeremy Fitzgerald, Jason's brother and an assistant coach at Rhea County, may never live down Thursday's results. When asked in the "Fast Money" round about an illness kids catch from each other, Jeremy said "Hepatitis."
Neither he nor Jason got the No. 1 answer: a cold. Jason said flu, which was the No. 2 answer.
Jason racked up 141 points of the 200 needed in the first half of the speed round, setting Jeremy up in the second half.
"Some of us do better than others. Some of us know how to play and some of us don't," Jason said, obviously gigging his brother.
The episodes were filmed in Atlanta with host Steve Harvey.
"He's a trip," Jason said. "I'd do it again. It was a neat experience."
The second episode involving the Fitzgeralds -- Jason, Jeremy, Jason's wife, Cheryl, and his daughter Alex and Jeremy's wife, Sarah -- airs at 4:30 p.m. today on Fox 61.
And then the real work begins for the Fitzgeralds when playoff football kicks off.
Contact Ward Gossett at wgossett@timesfreepress.com or 423-886-4765. Follow him at Twitter.com/wardgossett.