Harrigan leads induction class

Victoria Sun

Friday, Sept. 6, 2002 | 9:32 a.m.

One omission was all it took for Lori Harrigan to rededicate her life to softball.

In January, the former UNLV softball pitcher and two-time Olympic gold medalist wasn't one of the 22 players chosen to participate in a national team continuation training camp.

It was the first time the two-time All-American wasn't good enough, so she decided to train harder.

"It was definitely a wake-up call that I needed to do something and make a drastic change," the Las Vegan said. "I told myself that if I'm going to make that commitment, I'm going to give it everything I have."

That meant commuting from Las Vegas to Fullerton, Calif., from January to May to work with former Rams player Lucious Smith.

With Smith's help, Harrigan made it to the national team that won the gold medal at the World Championships in July and is 4-0 this summer in international competition.

This week has been particularly rewarding.

She returned home Monday after winning the MVP award at the Japan Cup and a new Toyota Corolla, celebrated her 32nd birthday Thursday and will be one of four athletes inducted into UNLV Athletic Hall of Fame tonight at the MGM Grand Conference Center.

She'll join basketball stars Larry Johnson, Stacey Augmon and Greg Anthony, the 1990-91 men's basketball team and longtime team physician Dr. Gerald Higgins in being honored.

"It's incredible," she said. "When they called and told me, I was so honored that the committee selected me because I come out of a class of great athletes.

"All of the awards, medals and plaques I've gotten, I look at them every day as a reminder to keep working hard. I'm so thankful my parents and friends keep me grounded. I don't take anything for granted. When they called and told me I was in shock."

Harrigan pitched for UNLV from 1989-'92 leading the Rebels to three NCAA Regionals and two trips to the College World Series. She set school records with a career 0.77 ERA, 725 strikeouts, 83 victories and 53 shutouts, including five no-hitters and UNLV's only perfect game in 1992.

She was shocked and outraged to learn the International Olympic Committee is considering dropping softball, baseball and triathlon in favor of rugby, golf and wushu, a form of Chinese martial arts, for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

"We've won two gold medals already," a passionate Harrigan said. "It makes me really frustrated and angry, too, because this is the top of the sport for us.

"We don't have professional leagues where we make millions of dollars. We play from the heart. We obviously do this because this is what we love to do and now they're trying to take it away from us."

In 2008, Harrigan will be 38, making it very likely that the 2004 Olympics will be her last.

But as she learned at the beginning of the year, she has to make the team first.

"It makes it more meaningful for me to make this team," Harrigan said. "My goal and what I'm working for is to make the 2004 Olympics.

"With me getting older, I don't know if I could mentally stay around for 2008. I hope to get married, have kids and lead a normal life one day."

For now, Harrigan's life will continue to revolve around softball.

In two weeks, she will attend another tryout for continuation training at the Olympic training center in San Diego and start preparing for next year's Pan-American games.

The 2004 Olympic team will be chosen in September 2003. At that time, 18-20 players will be selected and the roster will be trimmed to 15 a month before the Olympics.

A look at the other Hall of Fame inductees: