Chicago, Illinois– The United States Olympic Committee announced yesterday that USA Shooting’s Lones W. Wigger, Jr. will be part of the distinguished Class of 2008 that will be inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame Presented by Allstate. The induction ceremony will take place June 19 in Chicago at the Joan W. and Irving B. Harris Theater. The U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame Class of 2008 is comprised of nine Olympians, one Paralympian, an Olympic Coach, Veteran, Team and Special Contributor.
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.
“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.”
Along with Wigger, the outstanding 2008 U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame Class to be inducted as individuals will include wrestler Bruce Baumgartner, athletics athlete Joan Benoit, figure skater Brian Boitano, boxer Oscar de La Hoya, volleyball player Karch Kiraly, equestrian J. Michael Plumb, basketball athlete David Robinson, swimmer Amy Van Dyken, and Paralympic swimmer John Morgan. Figure skating coach Carlo Fassi will be inducted in the Coach category along with Olympic figure skating gold medalist Carol Heiss Jenkins in the Veteran category. The members of the 1996 Women’s Gymnastics Team – Amanda Borden, Amy Chow, Dominique Dawes, Shannon Miller, Dominique Moceanu, Jaycie Phelps and Kerri Strug – will also be honored in the Team category, as will legendary Hollywood producer Frank Marshall as the Special Contributor.
The U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, Presented by Allstate, an awards-show style ceremony for which Kleenex and AT&T are associate sponsors, will air in a nationally-televised broadcast this summer. Viewers of the induction ceremony will be treated to a compelling broadcast which will relive the moments that catapulted the Class of 2008 to U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame status. Additionally, viewers will enjoy inspiring stories and insights from the inductees as well as from family, friends and fellow competitors of the honored legends.
“The legacies and contributions of this year’s honorees will now live forever as they join our country’s greatest Olympians in the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame,” said Lisa Cochrane, vice president of marketing at Allstate. “As a sponsor of the Hall of Fame since its celebrated revitalization in 2004, Allstate is proud to help protect and preserve this important part of our identity and source of American pride.”
Beginning today, tickets to the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony can be purchased at www.usolympichalloffame.com
About the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame
The U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame was established in 1979 to celebrate the achievements of America’s premier athletes in the modern Olympic Games. The first U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame class was inducted in 1983 during ceremonies in Chicago. That Charter Class, which included Olympic Greats such as Jesse Owens, Jim Thorpe and Cassius Clay, remains the largest group (20 individuals and one team) ever inducted. In 2004, after a 12-year hiatus, the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame was revived through the support of the Allstate Insurance Company as the presenting sponsor.
To date, 213 athletes (including seven U.S. teams), coaches, and 13 special contributors to the U.S. Olympic Movement have been enshrined in the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame. From the Charter Class of 1983 to the 2008 inductees, Hall members represent an American honor roll of athletic ambassadors representing the ideals of brotherhood and fair play.
For more information on the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame, please visit www.usolympichalloffame.com
Media Contact:
Mary Beth Vorwerk, USA Shooting MaryBeth.Vorwerk@usashooting.org