The Energizer Bunny may have met its match in a former Bulldog.

University alumnus Scott Rigsby is one of 10 worldwide finalists for the 2008 Energizer Keep Going Hall of Fame.

The battery company sponsors the annual contest to honor people with stories of “perseverance, determination and a never-quit attitude,” according to the Energizer Web site.

On October 13, 2007, Rigsby became the first double amputee with prosthetics in the world to finish the Ford Ironman World Championship distance triathlon in Hawaii.

Rigsby, then 225 pounds, covered 140.6 miles in 16 hours and 42 minutes.

“I want to let everyone know that you can take your ordinary life and place it in the hands of an extraordinary God to do amazing things and change the world,” Rigsby said.

At age 18, Rigsby lost his right leg after being thrown from the back of a truck while working a summer landscaping job and was dragged about 380 feet under a 3-ton trailer.

After having more than 26 surgeries in 10 years, Rigsby decided to have his left leg removed.

However, Rigsby said his story started Christmas 2005.

“I was laying on the floor in the living room on my parents’ house very frustrated because I was at the lowest point of my life,” Rigsby said. “I survived this catastrophic accident, but I felt like my life had no purpose. So I said this really simple prayer, ‘God, if you open up a door for me, then I’ll run through it.’”

A few days later, two magazine articles about another amputee triathlete and a soldier who returned to combat with prosthetics inspired Rigsby to compete in the triathlon.

Rigsby said he started training less than two years before the event, although he was not built like a swimmer, cyclist or runner.

“I tell students, athletic teams and even corporations that you have to focus on the things you have going for you when you’re faced with overwhelming odds,” he said.

Rigsby is writing a book with the help of a ghostwriter that will be released in December. He is also developing a screenplay.

The finalist with the most online votes submitted by the public will receive a $10,000 cash prize and a $5,000 donation to charity in August.

Rigsby said he will donate the money to the Scott Rigsby Foundation, a non-profit organization he founded in 2007 to help physically challenged athletes achieve goals.

Voting ends on July 25 at www.energizer.com/halloffame.