Thomas Garrigus

Thomas Garrigus
Born November 9, 1946
Hillsboro, Oregon
Died December 29, 2006(2006-12-29) (aged 60)
Plains, Montana
Nationality American
Education Hillsboro High School
Known for 1968 Olympic Silver Medal
Children Robert Garrigus

Thomas Irvin Garrigus (November 9, 1946 – December 29, 2006) was an American Olympic athlete who competed in shooting sports. A native of Oregon, he competed at the 1968 Summer Games where he won a silver medal, and later served as a coach.[1]

Early life

Garrigus was born in Hillsboro, Oregon[2] to Donald and Wanda (née Williams) Garrigus.[3] He was raised in Hillsboro, a western suburb of Portland, and began skeet shooting at the age of three.[3][4] There he graduated from Hillsboro High School before joining the United States Air Force, serving from 1965 to 1969.[3][4]

Olympics

Olympic medal record
Men's shooting
Representing  United States
1968 Mexico City Trap

In 1968, Garrigus won a spot on the United States Olympic Team to compete at the Summer Games held in Mexico City, and was still a member of the U.S. Air Force Shooting Team.[3][5] He was the youngest member of the U.S. shooting team at the Games.[4] Competing in shooting for Men's Trap, he won the silver medal for this shotgun event.[5][6] Garrigus tied for second place in the event, with John Braithwaite of the United Kingdom winning the gold medal with a world record score of 198.[7]

Held on October 19, the event had a three-way tie for second place between Garrigus, Kurt Czekalla of East Germany, and Pavel Senichev of the Soviet Union all with a score of 196.[8] In the first shoot-off between the three competitors, Czekalla and Garrigus had scores of 25 in this event where clay pigeons are shot, while Senichev was eliminated with a score of 22.[8] Garrigus then defeated the East German in the second shoot-off with a score of 25 to 23.[8] This was the highest finish for an American in the event since Mark Arie won the gold medal in 1920.[3]

Later life and family

After leaving the Air Force, Garrigus returned to Oregon and enrolled at Western Business College (now Everest College) and went on to work primarily as a salesperson.[3] He also served as a coach with the U.S. Shooting Team from 1992 to 2002.[3][9] Garrigus lived in Oregon, where he served as the director for the Hillsboro Trap & Skeet Club before moving to Idaho where he was the director of the Boise Gun Club.[3] In 1993 he married his wife Jackie, and they moved to Montana in 2006 to retire.[3] From two previous marriages, he had two sons, Thomas Bradley and Robert.[3] Son Robert Garrigus is a professional golfer.[10] In 1996, he worked as a referee for the shooting events at the Summer Games in Atlanta and was a torch bearer on the route through Salem, Oregon.[3] Garrigus died in Plains, Montana at the age of 60.[3]

References

  1. ↑ "Thomas Garrigus". Sports Reference. Retrieved January 1, 2016.
  2. ↑ Thomas Garrigus. databaseSports.com. Retrieved on May 15, 2008.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 BoiseGunClub.com - The Last Post. Boise Gun Club. Reprint from the Idaho Statesman, January 31, 2007. Retrieved on May 15, 2008.
  4. 1 2 3 Garrigus wins silver in shooting at Olympics. The Hillsboro Argus, October 19, 1976.
  5. 1 2 Summer Olympics Medals. ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved on May 15, 2008.
  6. ↑ Historic Men's Shooting Clay Pigeon Trap Shooting. CNNSI.com. Retrieved on May 15, 2008.
  7. ↑ Olympic Games Medallists - Shooting. Athletics Weekly. Retrieved on May 15, 2008.
  8. 1 2 3 Shooting: Trap: Men: Olympic Games 1968 at Mexico City. Sports 123. Retrieved on May 15, 2008.
  9. ↑ U.S. Shooting Team Officials List. U.S. Shooting Team Alumni Association. Retrieved on May 15, 2008.
  10. ↑ Tokito, Mike. At a Glance. The Oregonian, December 5, 2003.
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