COURTESY PHOTO -- The Colonial Echo

'Sexiest Bachelor' Tom Gill flexes during his days at the College.

Who says you can't have both brains and good looks? For College alumnus Tom Gill, it was this winning combination that helped him earn the title "America's Sexiest Bachelor" in a nationally televised FOX special Monday night.

Gill, a 29-year-old Virginia Beach resident, won the contest by acing-out contestants from the 49 other states. Judged primarily on looks, style and personality, Gill had to participate in the formalwear and bathing suit portions of the program, as well as the interview segment. He was asked questions such as: "What is the best excuse you ever used to get out of a date?" to which he responded, "I wouldn't use an excuse. Women have an incredible way of finding out the truth."

Considering his busy schedule, it's a wonder that Gill has any time for dating at all. Not only does he teach Advanced Placement government and coach athletic teams at Nansemond-Suffolk Academy, but Gill is a lifeguard, a volunteer for the Virginia Beach Rescue Squad and an active supporter of Operation Smile and the American Cancer Society.

Gill, who graduated in 1994, was a member of Kappa Alpha fraternity and raced for the swim team.

While attending a national lifeguard camp in San Diego, television producers spotted him and suggested he take part in the show. It took a bit of convincing, but Gill finally agreed. Hardly confident about his chances of even reaching the top 10, he was even more surprised when he was declared the winner.

"I was totally in shock and couldn't believe it. I never anticipated in my wildest dreams that I would win that thing," Gill said in a Virginian-Pilot article. "I thought any one of those guys could have won it."

Aside from dance rehearsals, Gill didn't have to prepare for the pageant because the show's producers "continuously wanted us to be ourselves," he said in an online chat session hosted Tuesday by Fox.com.

It was his personality, coupled with his stage presence as a "southern gentleman," that distinguished the teacher from his competitors, he said.

"I was raised in the south in Virginia. I've always believed in chivalry and a gentleman's code of conduct," Gill said in the online interview. "I'm not anti-feminism or women's rights or equality, but I also believe in treating a woman well and courteously."

As a reward for taking the stage in what is being touted as "the first-ever male pageant," Gill will pocket $100,000, most of which he plans to use as a down-payment on a house.

"The thought of actually winning the money Š was a huge moment for a teacher like myself," Gill said, referring to what was going through his mind while the winners were being announced.

Considering that Gill's only prior claim to fame was being pictured on a Virginia Beach postcard about 10 years ago, he may have trouble adjusting to his newfound celebrity status -- and not just in terms of his students and admiring members of the Virginia Beach area. Gill was mentioned on the Howard Stern show and appeared on Regis Live. However, he's not letting the attention go to his head.

"I think I'll just take the offers one at a time, if they come," he said during the FOX chat session.

"Girls weren't falling at my feet before the competition, and I don't know if they will be now," Gill said on Channel 13's Tuesday evening news broadcast.