Sept. 10, 2014 Lori Harrigan-Mack's Bio from NBC's The Biggest Loser
LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - One of the Scarlet & Gray's most decorated alumna will be taking to the small screen as a contestant on NBC's 16th installment of
The Biggest Loser this Thursday. Lori Harrigan-Mack, a three-time Olympic gold medalist and UNLV Athletics' Hall of Famer, will compete against 19 other competitors for the $250,000 grand prize and, more importantly, to lose weight for a healthier future.
Harrigan-Mack came to UNLV as a freshman from Magnolia High School out of Anaheim, Calif., in the fall of 1988. Instantly, the newcomer earned a spot in the lineup and atop the program's single-season record book in wins, ERA, strikeouts, shutouts and saves as a freshman in 1989. After she helped the team to a 32-28 record in her rookie campaign, she guided the Rebels to postseason play for three consecutive seasons, including back-to-back trips to Oklahoma City, Okla., for the Women's College World Series. Overall, UNLV won 156 contests during her tenure as a Rebel with her taking the win as the pitcher in 83 of those.
To-date, Harrigan-Mack's name still reigns over seven of the program's career records, such as: ERA (0.77), wins, complete games (123), shutouts (53), innings pitched (1034.2), strikeouts (725) and no-hitters (six).
By virtue of her prowess in the pitching circle, Harrigan-Mack was named four times over to the All-Big West and all-west region teams. She also garnered All-American status twice, in 1991 and '92.
Following her collegiate career, Harrigan-Mack traded in the Scarlet & Gray for 12 years in the Red, White & Blue of Team USA. She holds the distinction of being one of four women to win three gold medals in the sport of softball with victories in 1996 (Atlanta), '00 (Sydney) and '04 (Athens). She also became the first hurler to throw a no-hitter in Olympic competition. In addition to her Olympic accolades, she won three International Softball Federation (ISF) World Championships (1994, '98 and '02) and three Pan American Games gold medals (1995, '99 and '03).
Harrison-Mack was enshrined in UNLV's Athletics Hall of Fame in 2006, and five years later she was inducted into the National Softball Hall of Fame. She is also a member of the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame as a member of the 2004 U.S. Olympic softball team.
"With my husband 100 percent behind me, I said The Biggest Loser is where I have to change," Harrigan-Mack told People Magazine. "I have to do this."
This season of the reality weight-loss show is aptly titled, "Glory Days" with each contestant having an athletic background whether it was on the high school, collegiate or professional level. Two of those Harrigan-Mack will compete against are former NFL players Scott Mitchell and Damien Woody. A couple of the more high-profile women are Zina Garrison, a 1998 women's doubles gold medalist and a Wimbledon's singles runner-up, and Vanessa Hayden, a former WNBA player.
"When the opportunity came to be on the show it actually scared me, because it was my chance to make a decision," Harrigan-Mack told the Las Vegas Review-Journal about improving her quality of life. "This is by far the hardest thing I've ever done."
The first episode will be aired Thursday, Sept. 11 at 8:00 pm PT.
