By Associated Press, 11/07/01

FOND DU LAC, Wis. -- Mark McGwire may be known as "Big Mac," but he's got nothing on Don Gorske, who has eaten more than 18,000 of the McDonald's sandwiches since 1972.

Gorske told students and faculty at Fond du Lac High School on Tuesday he still has a taste for the burgers.

The 6-foot, 175-pound Gorske started eating Big Macs in the spring of 1972 when he got his first car. He made three trips that day, each time ordering three Big Macs and tossing the cartons into the back seat.

He kept up his nine-Big-Mac-a-day diet for a month, until he finally cleaned his car and found 265 Big Mac cartons.

Fond du Lac High School math teacher Tom Strauss met Gorske in 1987 and wrote a problem-solving curriculum around Gorske's habit.

Students have figured Gorske has gone through 14.5 cows, 6.25 million sesame seeds, 1,900 whole pickles, 563 pounds of cheese and 100 gallons of special sauce.