While college basketball fans are enjoying the opening day of the NCAA tournament on Thursday, one local man will be vying for a spot in the Final Four.

Joe Goodwin, a physical education teacher at Myrtle Beach Elementary, will see his quest for the $100,000 first-place prize continue on the Spike TV sports-reality show 'Pros Vs. Joes,' which pits former professional athletes against average Joes in special skills competitions.

Goodwin was among eight first-round winners from a field of 64. He prevailed last month at RFK Stadium by scoring a basket on former NBA star Derrick Coleman, a goal on ex-NHL standout Marty McSorley and taking some hard hits from former NFL linebacker Jessie Armstead to beat out seven other Joes.

Now that the field of 64 has been trimmed to eight, he will appear at the Rose Bowl on Thursday night for the right to make the Final Four. Although the show was taped months ago, he cannot reveal the outcome.

'It's been hard trying to keep it all secret, but it's easier now that the first show has aired,' Goodwin said. 'All I can say is it was a great experience.'

As a former college football player at Western Ontario, Goodwin had no shot of playing in the Rose Bowl. The taping at the historic stadium was a dream come true, he said, albeit nearly two decades later.

'You walk through the tunnel and there are all these [UCLA] Bruins' Hall of Fame plaques with all the great players who have played there,' he said. 'It was awesome just to walk out on the field. It's one of the most famous stadiums anywhere.'

In Thursday's episode, Goodwin will face an equally if not more intimidating group of pros than the first show - former NFL defensive back Rod Woodson, ex-NBA big man Anthony Davis and retired multi-weight boxing champion Pernell 'Sweet Pea' Whitaker. While Goodwin says he wasn't intimidated by the lineup, he wasn't exactly eager to go toe-to-toe with any of the pros.

'Under any other circumstances, I wouldn't want to go up against any of these guys,' Goodwin joked. 'I just kept my mind on the $100,000 prize. That was my main motivation.'

At the age of 38, Goodwin is the oldest of the eight remaining contestants, but he didn't let that hold him back, either.

'I love competition and I've always been confident in my abilities,' he said. 'There were some big, young guys out there, but I tried not to worry about the competition. The main thing is believing in yourself.'

The episode airs at 11 p.m. Thursday night and will be rebroadcast Saturday at 11 a.m. and 10 p.m. and at 10 p.m. March 26. The 'Last Joe Standing' episode airs at 11 p.m. March 27.

ONLINE | To view Massey's blog 'Sports Gumbo,' go to MyrtleBeachOnline.com.

Pros vs. Joes party

What | Joe Goodwin will meet fans and show tapes of his previous episode and audition tape before the live broadcast

When | 10 p.m. Thursday (show airs at 11 p.m. on Spike TV)

Where | Five O'Clock Somewhere

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