Lones W. Wigger Jr

Hall of Fame

Date of birth:

8/15/1937

Hometown:

Great Falls, Montana

Olympic Experience:

  • 1964 Olympic Champion - 50m Free Rifle 3x40
  • 1964 Olympic Silver Medalist - 50m Prone Rifle
  • 1972 Olympic Champion - 300m Free Rifle

Biography:

Lones Wigger, Jr., was born in 1937 in Great Falls Montana and took up competitive shooting when he was 12. He began practicing rifle in the basement of the Carter Community Center in his hometown, where his father ran the club shooting program.

Wigger also shot for the Montana State University rifle program, where he was an All-American. It was from this collegiate experience where Lones took to Fort Benning and the Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU).

Wigger was an officer at the USAMU and retired at the rank of Lt. Col. He was inducted in the Army Shooting Hall of Fame in 1988 and the US Olympic Hall of Fame in 2008. Wigger continues to run World Cup events in the United States and compete in many national matches around the country. His daughter, Deena, was on the 1988 Olympic Team and his son, Ron, was the head rifle coach at West Point.

Competition Highlights:

  • 1964 50m Free Rifle Olympic Champion and World Record Holder
  • 16 major U.S. international teams
  • 22 World Championships (two individual, 20 team)
  • Seven Pan-American titles
  • 18 victories in the Championship of the Americas
  • 16 wins in the Council Internationale Sport du Militaire Match
  • Over 108 International Medals