National Football League

Report: Down-on-luck man beats odds

Published Jan. 20, 2011 12:00 a.m. ET

foxsports

A Massachusetts man defied the odds when he finished first among 3.1 million competitors in an ESPN.com fantasy football league despite not having a permanent residence or a computer, The Salem News reported Thursday.

Nathan Harrington, 33, became the envy of fantasy footballers everywhere when he topped the list in the prize-eligible fantasy league this season.

The feat was made even more remarkable by the mounting challenges Harrington faced as the season progressed.

Harrington, who has been unable to work since a 2009 car accident left him with nerve damage, suffered another setback in October when he, his fiancee and three-year-old son were forced to vacate their apartment due to a rat infestation.

Harrington was forced to move his small family into a cheap motel and put his computer into a storage unit.

But a few weeks into the NFL season, Harrington realized his fantasy squad -- The Boston Beatdowns -- were ranked in the top 50 on ESPN.com, giving him something positive to hold on to in difficult circumstances.

"My fantasy football was the one thing that kind of seemed to be going right at the time," Harrington said. "There was a lot to be upset about, but the one thing that was steady and heading in a positive direction was the fantasy football. So I thought I might as well stick with it and ride it out. Thank God I did."

Harrington scrambled to nurture his winning team, reportedly asking strangers in the motel for a moment on their computers and grabbing a few minutes on the machine at the nursing home where his father resided.

The fantasy guru reportedly called friends to make last-minute changes and even made his fiancee Gabby wait outside the local public library while he fine-tuned his lineup inside.

"She laughs about it now," Harrington said. "But there were times when she was really mad at me."

Harrington managed to make 26 transactions over the course of the season, according to the report. He snagged star players like Adrian Peterson, Arian Foster, Dwayne Bowe and Brandon Lloyd to help keep his team in the hunt.

As the season came to a close, Harrington’s savvy maneuvers had paid off as he was within striking distance of the title. Sitting at his mother’s computer, he made the final critical move when he opted to start Denver Broncos rookie quarterback Tim Tebow.

The decision paid off as Harrington’s Beatdowns edged out the competition by a 0.8-point margin.

In addition to earning the bragging rights coveted by all fantasy sports competitors, Harrington received a $3,500 gift certificate to Best Buy for topping the ESPN.com league.

He has reportedly sold the gift card to his mother for $2,500 and intends to use the cash to help move his family into a new apartment.