Thomas Garrigus

American sport shooter

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

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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

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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

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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

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1. ^ "Thomas Garrigus". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on April 18, 2020. Retrieved January 1, 2016.
2. ^ Thomas Garrigus. Archived 2007-08-26 at the Wayback Machine databaseSports.com. Retrieved on May 15, 2008.
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l BoiseGunClub.com - The Last Post. Archived 2010-09-05 at the Wayback Machine Boise Gun Club. Reprint from the Idaho Statesman, January 31, 2007. Retrieved on May 15, 2008.
4. ^ a b c Garrigus wins silver in shooting at Olympics. The Hillsboro Argus, October 19, 1976.
5. ^ a b Summer Olympics Medals. ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved on May 15, 2008.
6. ^ Historic Men's Shooting Clay Pigeon Trap Shooting. Archived 2012-02-12 at the Wayback Machine CNNSI.com. Retrieved on May 15, 2008.
7. ^ Olympic Games Medallists - Shooting. Athletics Weekly. Retrieved on May 15, 2008.
8. ^ a b c Shooting: Trap: Men: Olympic Games 1968 at Mexico City. Archived 2011-05-18 at the Wayback Machine Sports 123. Retrieved on May 15, 2008.
9. ^ U.S. Shooting Team Officials List. Archived 2008-04-19 at the Wayback Machine U.S. Shooting Team Alumni Association. Retrieved on May 15, 2008.
10. ^ Tokito, Mike. At a Glance. The Oregonian, December 5, 2003.