Dan Harrigan

1976 Olympic bronze In the summer after his Sophomore year in college in June, 1976, Harrigan had the third fastest 200 backstroke time of 2:02.96 at the U.S. Olympic Swimming trials in Long Beach, California, finishing third behind John Naber and Peter Rocca, as he would at the Olympics.

After travelling with a strong team to Montreal in 1976, despite setting an Olympic record time of 2:02.25 in the 200-meter backstroke behind gold medalist John Naber in the preliminary heat, he placed only third in the final heat, taking a bronze medal with a still impressive time of 2:01.35. His time was .8 seconds behind the American silver medalist Peter Rocca who touched just behind American John Naber, which gave the Americans all three Olympic medals. Naber became the first swimmer to go under 2 minutes for the 200-meter backstroke with a time of 1:59.19. The American Olympic swimming team won 25 of 33 medals, becoming the most successful American swim team in U.S. Olympic history.

Later life Twenty years after his Olympic medal, Harrigan was a busy employee of the Spillman Farmer architectural firm in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, where he had worked since 1983, after studying at Penn State. His architectural achievements included designing Bethlehem's Calypso School and the outside of Lehigh University's Goodman Stadium, used for their football games. He and his wife, the former Therese Rucker, another All American swimmer from North Carolina State, had three sons.

Honors In High School, Harrigan received the honor of "Athlete of the Year" by the American Athletic Union. He was made a member of the Indiana High School Swimming and Diving Hall of Fame, and was made a member of the North Carolina Swimming Hall of Fame in 1986. During his years at North Carolina State University, while swimming at the 1978 Atlantic Coast Championship, the coaches voted him the meet's outstanding performer.