USA Shooting Launches Lones Wigger Junior Olympic Endowment

by
posted on February 8, 2017
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
loneswigger-endowmentpic.jpg
Above: Lones Wigger alongside the Women's Three-Position Rifle medalists from the 2015 National Junior Olympic Shooting Championships—Olympic gold medalist Ginny Thrasher of West Virginia University (right), Texas Christian University-bound Elizabeth Marsh (middle) and University of Kentucky sophomore Hanna Carr.

USA Shooting has announced the Lones Wigger/USAS Junior Olympic Endowment in cooperation with the MidwayUSA Foundation. This endowment will help create an enduring legacy for one of the greatest competitive shooters in history. The endowment serves as the official launch of the Lones Wigger Legacy Project that will be announced in full detail later this month.

Wigger helped construct the USA Shooting Junior Olympic program, which annually gives youths ages 11-20 the opportunity to compete on a national stage at the USA Shooting Centerlocated at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, CO. The creation of a legacy endowment which will provide additional funding opportunities for USA Shooting to help grow youth programs and enhance grassroots development.

A five-time Olympian, Lones Wigger is an iconic figure in the shooting sports and is the only USA Shooting Team member ever elected to the U.S. Olympic Committee’s Hall of Fame. He has won more medals in international shooting competition (111) than any other shooting athlete in the world, and is the only athlete to win medals in all three Olympic rifle shooting disciplines. Wigger was selected as one of the United States Olympic Committee’s 100 Golden Olympians in 1996 and carried the Olympic Torch in 1996 and 2002. A member of four Halls of Fame, including the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame and U.S. International Shooting Hall of Fame, his international shooting career spanned 25 years (1961-86). The National Rifle Association honored Wigger last year at the National Smallbore Prone Championship with the debut of the Lones Wigger Iron Man Trophy.

"The Lones Wigger Endowment is the continuation of a lifelong pursuit of greatness and an important investment in recognizing a man who has given selflessly to his sport throughout his career," said USA Shooting Interim CEO Dave Johnson. He added, "The real winners here are the youth this endowment will help serve and the betterment of youth shooting sports programs across this country."

The Lones Wigger/USAS Junior Olympic Endowment is the second youth endowment started by USA Shooting. The Athlete Endowment Fund was established in 2005 with the intention of awarding grants to shooting sport athletes to help offset the cost of competitions, equipment, ammunition, travel and training in hopes of maintaining USA Shooting’s competitive excellence well into the future.

Story and photo courtesy of USA Shooting.

Latest

MDT NV Bridge 3
MDT NV Bridge 3

New: MDT One-Piece Night Vision Bridge

MDT’s One-Piece NV Bridge, a 13-inch, 20-MOA rail for select MDT chassis, keeps clip-on night optics aligned with the riflescope.

TriStar Arms Turns 30 and Still Believes a Great Shotgun Shouldn’t Cost a Fortune

TriStar Arms turns 30 as the family-run Kansas City importer announces the Viper G3, its latest semi-automatic shotgun.

New Apex Bag Rider 2.0 Gives Ruger Precision Rifle Shooters Steadier Elevation Control

The Catalyst Arms Apex Bag Rider 2.0 replaces bag-squeeze elevation control with a wider, reshaped polymer ramp for Gen 1-3 Ruger Precision Rifles.

Elliott, Simonton Win Fall Selection Crowns as USA Shooting Names National Skeet Team

Christian Elliott and Samantha Simonton win open skeet titles at 2026 Fall Selection Match as USA Shooting names the national team for Doha, Lima and Acapulco.

Bethel Shooting Team Gives Up a Saturday for Metal Madness Founder

Bethel University’s shooting team spent a Saturday clearing demolition debris from Grand Rivers Shooting Range while Metal Madness founder Ed White recovered from a heart attack.

Two Programs Join MAC As Rifle Season Opens Sept. 19

Indiana Tech and Hillsdale College join the Mid-Atlantic Rifle Conference for 2026-27, pushing the field to 10 programs chasing a championship decided Feb. 27-28.

Interests



Get the best of Shooting Sports USA delivered to your inbox.