Lones Wigger Named to U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame
Olympic marksman Lones W. Wigger, Jr. has been voted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame. Lones will be inducted into the Hall during a June 19 ceremony in Chicago, Illinois. “It’s a tremendous honor to be inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame and especially to represent the shooting sports,” said Wigger. “I am overwhelmed and can’t hardly believe it. I would like to thank everyone who voted for me and supported me.”
Seventy-year-old Wigger (Colorado Springs, Colo.), a rifle shooter whose career spanned 25 years, is a three-time Olympian, having competed at the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo, the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico and the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, where he won a combined two gold and one silver medals. In addition, he qualified for the 1980 Olympic Team.
Wigger also competed on five Pan American Games teams, where he won five silver and 13 gold medals. During his shooting career, Wigger won 111 medals and set 29 world records in international competition, more than any other shooter in the world. He is a member of the USA Shooting Hall of Fame and was also honored in 1996 by the USOC as a “Golden Olympian.” A retired Army Lt. Col., Wigger is a two-tour Vietnam Veteran and spent 25 years on active duty.
The U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame Class of 2008 is composed of nine Olympians, one Paralympian, an Olympic coach, Veteran, Team and Special Contributor.
I had the honour of meeting Lones when he came over to Bisley some years ago and offer my congratulations to him for a richly deserved honour.
I also met Gary Anderson at the 1994 300m World Championships in Italy – both members of the same team.
That Lones has achieved this honor is a wonderful event in his lifetime; that it’s being awarded to him in Chicago, Illinois – home to a notoriously hostile (to the 2nd Amendment) city & state government – seems like a misstep on somebody’s thinking.
Lones Wigger, Jr. was indeed the “Pride of Chouteau County” when he was on world stage. The news clippings from the River Press, the county newspaper, of his accomplishments were on my parents’ refrigerator. His wife, Mary Kay, is daugher of one of my Dad’s best friends, Bassie Spencer who was from the neighboring ranch. I know his father, Lones, Sr. was most proud of his son from Carter, Chouteau County, Montana as were the whole of the State. His honor is well deserved and I am sure a proud moment for all his fans from Big Sky Country.
As member of the Highwood Rifle Club, Dad (Burton Long) was privileged to know Lones. We heard many stories about rifle club meets in Chouteau County. What an honor for an honorable man, to be in the Olympic Hall of Fame. Congratulations, Lones!
I had the privilege of meeting Mr. Lones Wigger at Women’s 2011 National Junior Olympic Championships at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Absolutely a pleasure to meet. Sweet man who wants to see future generations of shooters not only succeed but excel at shooting and life as a whole. I’m honored to have met him.
I competed at Camp Perry back in 1982 and 1983 in the Whistler Boy National Championships for North Carolina.MR Wigger was there and gave several training seminars, I can still rember one piece of advice he gave” If your not dead on don’t pull the trigger and you will always shoot a10x.