Riglin called the show's toll-free number whenever the line was open. The computerized voice asked her to answer three questions in the fastest-finger format.
A representative from the show contacted her after one of her calls in late September.
The Penn State employee was then randomly chosen to appear on the show after a nerve-wracking round of phone calls from ABC.
Riglin prepared for the show by playing Trivial Pursuit, reading surveys and listening to a set of 20 educational cassette tapes.
She also prepared by watching the show and studying tactics used by former players.
"My plan was to use my lifelines strategically. I planned to use the 'ask the audience' lifeline earlier than the others, on a pop culture question. I realized that every question is designed to be reduced and every word in the question is there for a reason," Riglin said.
ABC made travel arrangements to fly Riglin and her husband, Jim, to New York City. The network also provided the couple with ground transportation, hotel accommodations and $50 a day.
After arriving in New York on Sept. 27, the couple left their hotel at 6:45 a.m. for the taping of the show. Riglin admitted she had a few jitters before the taping, but said she was calm compared to her husband, who was a nervous wreck.
But for as slick as the show might look on network TV, there were hitches on the set Riglin didn't expect.
One such surprise was how long it took to tape the show because of host Regis Philbin's problems with pronunciations, which often required her to do four or five takes of the same question.
Even after the show was complete, Riglin had to go back so Philbin could have another chance at taping certain questions again.
Before Riglin had a chance to be in the "hot-seat" answering Philbin's questions, she spent her first morning in New York in rehearsal.
Riglin made wise use of the rehearsal time.
"While the person running rehearsal talked to us, I practiced pushing the buttons we would use in the fastest finger round. I was surprised that other people were sitting there with their hands on their laps," Riglin said.
The group went through five fastest finger practice questions, with Riglin demonstrating her game-show prowess by winning the first three.
Her practice paid off. She beat the nine other contestants and won the fastest finger round.
Riglin had gained her ticket to game-show paradise — or at least the chance to play for Who Want's to Be A Millionaire's one million dollar jackpot.
Riglin's largest concern at first was making it to the $1,000 level before the end of the show. She rushed through the first few questions, and almost ran out of time.
Time expired on the show, which aired on Oct. 5, but taping started a scant hour later for the next episode, which aired Sunday.
Riglin went through the second show without trouble, comfortably conversing with Philbin about Penn State football until she was asked which nation's flag has a picture of the country on it.
"I said that I saw the Brazil flag and it had a globe on it. The lights went out (on the set). A voice said 'Stop! This is still a live question.' They had gone and looked in the reference books to make sure Brazil wasn't in the globe. I sat there for ten minutes and stared at the flag in my head," Riglin said.
After a time, the lights went on and Riglin said that Cypress, not Brazil, had a picture of itself on its flag. After a few tense seconds, Philbin told Riglin she had answered correctly.
On Riglin's final question, Philbin asked her which product popularized the phrase "always a bridesmaid, never a bride." Riglin called her father, who had no idea. She would have guessed Listerine, the correct answer.
"I regret not making the guess, but in retrospect I probably didn't know the answer as well as I think I did. My husband said I was smart to walk away. I talked to my other four lifelines and none of them would have known the answer," Riglin said.
Despite winning only a quarter of the total prize money, Riglin enjoyed the experience and spending time with her famous host.
"Regis was very personable and down-to-earth. He strays from what the teleprompter says when interacting with people," Riglin said.
When Riglin called her father as a lifeline, the show's producers allowed him to stay connected and listen to her win.
By the time Riglin returned to her hotel room, her father had already spread the word to family and friends.
When Riglin returned to work after the taping, her co-workers filled her office with fake money, pink paper piggy banks and congratulatory signs.
"This office is fantastic. Everyone wanted to hear the tale. They were excited," Riglin said.
Riglin's two stepchildren, ages 11 and 9, are now celebrities at their school. Her fourth grade stepdaughter is even getting requests for money from her classmates.
Riglin plans on using her winnings to pay off law school loans, to travel and to buy things she has been putting off. She will invest the rest.
There is a chance Riglin will return for the show's championship round later this year or early next year. If she does return, half of her winnings would go to charity.
