The 1965 champion, Michael Kerpan, returned to the bee this year to celebrate his 50th anniversary of winning.
When he was a speller, Kerpan said, ties weren’t permitted. He and his competitor “discussed trying to rig it,” he said, but “decided it wasn’t going to work.”
Since he competed, the bee has gotten much bigger. In some ways, he said, it was more dramatic when you spelled until you failed. But with more spellers, it becomes harder to pull off.
Kerpan, who won with “eczema,” said the words have gotten more difficult since he competed.
“I wouldn’t have had a chance,” he said.
“I told him he hadn’t been studying for 50 years,” said his wife, Pat Suhrcke. “He would’ve had a chance.”