Two friends win $22 million Wisconsin lottery after agreeing to split winnings in 1992
Menomonie-area friends Tom Cook and Joe Feeney take home $5.7 million each from winning the Wisconsin lottery jackpot. (Wisconsin Lottery)
MADISON, Wis. (FOX 9) - Two friends shook hands in 1992 and said they would split the winnings if either one of them won the Powerball jackpot.
Now 28 years later, Tom Cook and Joe Feeney followed through with their agreement and have claimed the latest Powerball ticket in Wisconsin, winning the $22 million jackpot.
Each person took home about $5.7 million after federal and state taxes from the chosen cash option of about $16.7 million, according to the Wisconsin Lottery.
Menomonie resident Feeney bought the lottery ticket at Synergy Coop Exit 45 on 2100 County Rd. B in Menomonie. When he realized he won, he called Cook, who lives in Elk Mound, to tell him the news.
Now, both men are retired and look forward to enjoying more family time and taking road trips with an upgraded vehicle.
“We can pursue what we feel comfortable with. I can’t think of a better way to retire,” Cook said in the press release.
This was the first Wisconsin Powerball jackpot won since March 2019, when a jackpot winner record of $768.4 million was set. There have been 18 Wisconsin Powerball jackpot winners since the state debuted the game in 1992, according to the Wisconsin Lottery.