John Riggins

NFLretired


caption=John Riggins
position=Running back
number=44
birthdate=birth date and age|1949|8|4
Seneca, Kansas
debutyear=1971
finalyear=1985
draftyear=1971
draftround=1
draftpick=6
college=Kansas
teams=
* New York Jets (1971-1975)
* Washington Redskins (1976-1979)
* Washington Redskins (1981-1985)
stat1label=Rushing yards
stat1value=11,352
stat2label=Average
stat2value=3.9
stat3label=Total TDs
stat3value=104
nfl=RIG207644
highlights=
* 1x Pro Bowl selection (1975)
* 2x All-Pro selection (1975, 1983)
* NFL 1980s All-Decade Team
* 70 Greatest Redskins
* Super Bowl XVII MVP
* Redskins' Ring of Fame
* 1978 NFL Comeback Player of the Year
* 1983 Bert Bell Award
* 1992 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee
HOF=180

Robert John Riggins, nicknamed "The Diesel", (born August 4, 1949 in Seneca, Kansas) is a former American football running back in the National Football League for the New York Jets and Washington Redskins. Riggins was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1992.

Early life

Riggins was born in Seneca, Kansas and attended Centralia High School in Centralia, Kansas. While there, he was a three-sport athlete, earning high school All-American recognition in football, all-state honors in basketball and won twice the Class B 100-yard dash state title.cite web | work=Capital-Journal | url=http://www.cjonline.com/stories/082207/haw_193423571.shtml | title=Jayhawks to induct Riggins into Ring of Honor | accessdate=2008-06-20]

Riggins' high school is now located on John Riggins Avenue, which runs through a main part of Centralia. [cite web | work=Capital-Journal | url=http://www.cjonline.com/PalmPilot/stories/091401/ksp_centralia.html | title=Centralia is town full of pride | accessdate=2008-06-20]

College career

Riggins attended and played college football at the University of Kansas, where he was an All-Americancite web | work=Pro Football Hall of Fame | url=http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/member.jsp?PLAYER_ID=180 | title=John Riggins' HOF Profile | accessdate=2008-06-20] and two-time All-Big Eight Conference first-team selection. Riggins led the Jayhawks to a Big Eight Conference championship win in 1968. [cite web | work=ESPN | url=http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/columns/story?columnist=schlabach_mark&id=3068617 | title=Focused Jayhawks plan to remain a Big 12 contender | accessdate=2008-06-20] The team then went to the 1969 Orange Bowl, which they lost to Pennsylvania State University, 15-14.

During his senior season in 1970, Riggins rushed for 1,131 yards and scored a then school-record 14 touchdowns. He finished his career with 2,659 rushing yards, which broke Gale Sayers's career rushing record for the school (now ranked fifth for Kansas' all-time rushing leaders and 14th for total yards). [cite web | work=KU Sports | url=http://www.kusports.com/football/nfl/riggins.html | title=John Riggins' Bio | accessdate=2008-06-21]

While at Kansas, Riggins majored in journalism.cite web | work=LJWorld | url=http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2003/jun/25/riggins_lands_soap/ | title=Riggins lands soap gig | accessdate=2008-06-25]

New York Jets (1971–1975)

Riggins was drafted in the first round of the 1971 NFL Draft by the New York Jets and as a rookie he became the first Jet to lead the team in both rushing and receiving.cite web | work=New York Jets | url=http://www.newyorkjets.com/team/all_time/player/651-john-riggins | title=John Riggins' Profile | accessdate=2008-06-21] On October 15, 1972, the Jets set a team-record of 333 rushing yards against the New England Patriots , beating them 41-13.cite web | work=New York Jets | url=http://www.newyorkjets.com/team/history/1972 | title=History of the New York Jets: 1972 | accessdate=2008-06-21] Riggins, who had 168 yards, and Emerson Boozer, who had 150 yards, became the first and only running back tandem in franchise history who both rushed for 150 yards in a game. Although he missed the final two games in 1972 because of knee surgery, Riggins rushed for 944 yards, four yards less than Matt Snell's franchise record.

Riggins was among the top ten rushers in the American Football Conference in 1974 despite missing four games with a shoulder injury. After only four years with the Jets, he was already the fourth leading rusher in team history with 2,875 yards. In 1975, Riggins became the first player in franchise history to rush for 1,000 or more yards in a season.cite web | work=New York Jets | url=http://www.newyorkjets.com/team/history/1975 | title=History of the New York Jets: 1975 | accessdate=2008-06-21] On December 21, 1975, he ran for 121 yards against the Dallas Cowboys, which was his fifth consecutive 100 yard game and gave him 1,005 for the season. In what turned out to be his last season with the Jets, Riggins made his only appearance in the Pro Bowl.

Riggins was named the Jets' MVP (now known as the Martin Award) in 1972 and 1975. [cite web | work=New York Jets | url=http://www.newyorkjets.com/team/awards/martin_award | title=New York Jets Team Awards | accessdate=2008-06-21]

Washington Redskins (1976–1979)

In 1976, Riggins signed as a free agent with the Washington Redskins, who offered him a four-year, $1.5 million contract, compared to the $75,000 he earned in his final year with the Jets.cite web | work=Hickok Sports | url=http://www.hickoksports.com/biograph/rigginsjohn.shtml | title=Biography - John Riggins | accessdate=2008-06-21] He was used mostly in short-yardage situations in his first season with Washington and missed much of the 1977 season with a knee injury. However, he gained more than 1,000 yards each of the next two seasons and was a major part of the Redskins' offense.

Contract dispute (1980)

During training camp in July 1980, Riggins requested to renegotiate his $300,000-a-year contract and the Redskins refused.cite web | work=New York Times | url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9900E7DB1338F931A25755C0A967948260 | title=Riggins Returns to Redskins | accessdate=2008-06-22] He then chose to leave camp and the Redskins placed him on the left camp-retired list, a move that made him ineligible to play for any other team in the league. He sat out the 1980 season and didn't rejoin the Redskins until 1981, when new Washington head coach Joe Gibbs traveled to Kansas to make a peace offering.cite web | work=Washington Post | url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/sports/redskins/longterm/book/pages/123.htm | title=The Redskins Book: Page 123 | accessdate=2008-06-22]

"He had a camouflage outfit on", Gibbs recalled. cquote|He had been hunting, him and a buddy. He had a beer can in his hand. It was 10 o'clock in the morning and he's meeting his coach for the first time and I'm thinking [sarcastically] , 'This guy really impresses me.' But I went in there, and halfway through the conversation he says, 'You need to get me back there. I'll make you famous.

I thought to myself, 'Oh, my God, he's an egomaniac.' I thought, 'I'll get him back and then I'll trade him. I'm not putting up with a fruitcake.' So I fly back to Washington, and two days later he calls me. He says, 'Joe, I made up my mind, and I'm going to play next season.' I thought it was great. I've got him back, and I'll trade that sucker. But then he says, 'There's only one thing I want in my contract.' I ask what it was. He says, 'A no-trade clause.'

Riggins's return also came at the suggestion of Ed Garvey, who was the executive director of the NFL Players Association.

Eleven months after he left, Riggins returned to training camp in 1981 with a new contract, telling the media "I'm bored, I'm broke, and I'm back."

Washington Redskins (1981–1985)

Upon Riggins' return in 1981, he managed just 714 rushing yards but scored 13 touchdowns.

During the strike-shortened 1982 season, Riggins gained 553 yards. He was much more successful during the playoffs, during which he gained 444 yards in victories over the Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings (where he had a franchise playoff record 185 yards), and Dallas Cowboys, and helped the Redskins reach Super Bowl XVII. Riggins rushed for a then-Super Bowl record 166 yards on 38 carries and the Redskins then beat the Miami Dolphins 27-17. He was then named Super Bowl MVP.

A play that was designed for gaining short yardage called "70 chip" turned out to be the key play of the game. With 10 minutes remaining, Riggins took a handoff on 4th-and-inches, broke an attempted tackle by Dolphin cornerback Don McNeal and ran for a 43 yard touchdown. [cite web | work=Washington Post | url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/sports/longterm/memories/gibbs/82sbowl.htm | title=Magic '70 Chip' Ends Four Decades of Trying | accessdate=2008-06-22] The Super Bowl win was the Redskins' first championship victory since 1942.cite web | work=NFL | url=http://www.nfl.com/superbowl/history/mvp/sbxvii | title=Super Bowl XVII MVP: John Riggins | accessdate=2008-06-22] Riggins' total of 610 yards amounted to 43 percent of Washington's offense in the four playoff games. His four consecutive playoff games with over 100 yards was NFL postseason record. On December 6, 2007, Riggins' run was voted by fans as the Redskins' Greatest Moment. [cite web | work=Washington Redskins | url=http://www.redskins.com/news/newsDetail.jsp?id=9092 | title=Riggins' Run Is Redskins' Greatest Moment | accessdate=2008-06-22]

In 1983, Riggins rushed for 1,347 yards, scored a then-NFL record 24 touchdowns, won the Bert Bell Award, and was named All-Pro for the first time in his career. Riggins went on to have another outstanding postseason, rushing for 242 yards and two touchdowns in their two playoff games, extending his NFL record of postseason games with at least 100 rushing yards to six. He then rushed for convert|64|yd and a touchdown in the Redskins' 38-9 Super Bowl XVIII loss against the Los Angeles Raiders. [cite web | work=Washington Post | url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/sports/redskins/longterm/1997/history/allart/xviii.htm | title=Raiders Dismantle Redskins, Records in Super Bowl, 38-9 | accessdate=2008-06-22]

Two other career milestones happened in 1983 for Riggins. On November 20, 1983, he set an NFL record by scoring in his 12th consecutive game during a 42-20 win over the Los Angeles Rams. His record would end at 13 consecutive games the following week.cite web | work=Washington Redskins | url= http://www.redskins.com/team/history-history.jsp#1980 | title=Washington Redskins History: 1980s | accessdate=2008-06-25] Then on December 17, 1983, Mark Moseley set an NFL kicking record by scoring 161 points in a season, which also made him the league leader in scoring that season. Riggins, who scored 144 points, was second on the season scoring list. This was the first time since 1951 that the top two scorers in a season played on the same team.

Riggins gained 1,239 in 1984, despite a bad back. In 1985, he rushed for more than 100 yards in three of the first four games before being replaced by George Rogers. He retired after that season.

Riggins played 175 games in 14 seasons had 13,442 total yards (11,352 rushing and 2,090 receiving) and 116 total touchdowns. Riggins rushed over 1,000 yards five times in his career and over 100 yards in 35 games, including a then-record six in post-season. He rushed 251 times for 996 yards and 12 touchdowns in nine post-season contests. He was the second player ever to rush for over 100 touchdowns in NFL history, and the first to do it since Jim Brown reached the milestone in 1965. [cite web | work=San Francisco Chronicle | url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/10/19/SPB1SSBGI.DTL | title=Testaverde's comeback is one for the ageless | accessdate=2008-06-22]

After football

Acting

In 1994, he began acting lessons and has since starred in off-off-Broadway productions of the plays "Gillette" and "A Midsummer Night's Dream" (in which he played Bottom). [cite web | work=Broadway World | url=http://www.broadwayworld.com/viewcolumn.cfm?colid=913 | title='Sight Unseen' (Broadway) and 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' (Storm Theatre) | accessdate=2008-06-25] His television credits include "Guiding Light" and "".

Riggins' acting career began at Centralia High when a teacher cast him as the lead role in his junior play. His career as a professional actor started in 1992 when he appeared in "Illegal Motion" in a Maryland (The Olney Theatre) theater.He starred as the beleaguered head football coach accused of inappropriate recruiting practices. US Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor attended his opening night where she presented him with a dozen roses, and letting him know that she always admired his character notwithstanding the "loosen up Sandie, baby" comment he made to her years before at a formal Washington DC dinner party, where "Riggo" fell asleep (really, passed out after having too much to drink) under the table during a presidential speech.

Arrest

On May 7, 1992, Riggins was arrested in Arlington, Virginia and charged with driving while intoxicated. He was taken to the Arlington County jail, arraigned and released later that day. He was also charged by police for refusing to take a breath or blood test following his arrest and spent several hours in the Arlington County jail before being released on $750 bond. [cite web | work=New York Times | url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE7D91E3BF934A35756C0A964958260 | title=Riggins and Baxter Arrested | accessdate=2008-06-22] He was acquitted of both charges, the judge finding that there was no probable cause to even have him stopped and charged.

Commentating

Since retiring from professional football, Riggins has worked as a sports commentator on television and radio.

Since 2006, Riggins has served as color commentator on Westwood One for the network's weekly national radio broadcast of "Sunday Night Football".cite web | work=USA Today | url=http://www.usatoday.com/sports/columnist/hiestand-tv/2005-08-09-hiestand-tv_x.htm | title=ABC, in its 'MNF' swan song, will be changing tunes weekly | accessdate=2008-06-26]

On July 18, 2006, Triple X ESPN Radio was launched with Riggins hosting "The John Riggins Show".cite web | work=Washington Redskins | url=http://www.redskins.com/news/newsDetail.jsp?id=3798 | title=Red Zebra Launches Triple X ESPN Radio | accessdate=2008-06-26] Riggins could be heard in the Washington, D.C. area weekdays from 4-7pm on 94.3 FM, 92.7 FM & 730 AM, WXGI 950 AM in Richmond, Virginia and WXTG-FM 102.1 FM in Virginia Beach, Virginia and WXTG (AM) 1490 in Hampton, Virginia. The last show of the series aired on its second anniversary, July 182008. With the merger of Triple X into WTEM to form "ESPN 980", Riggins' afternoon show was replaced by WTEM's afternoon drive show, "The Sports Reporters". Riggins stayed with ESPN 980 as a commentator at large.

On January 3, 2008, Riggins co-hosted the 74th Orange Bowl pre-game show. That same night, the Kansas Jayhawks defeated the Virginia Tech Hokies 24-21. It came 39 years after Riggins and the Jayhawks last played in the game in 1969. He offered congratulations to his Alma Mater in his closing comments, saying "The KU ship's been out at sea since '48. It finally came to port tonight!"

On September 18, 2008, an online campaign was created to bring "The John Riggins Show" back on the radio. The campaign is on the web at [www.bringriggoback.com] .

Honors

On October 21, 1990, Riggins and Joe Theismann were inducted into the Redskins' Ring of Fame. As Riggins' named was called, he ran onto the field in full Redskins uniform, including pads, and the crowd at RFK Stadium cheered. Riggins later explained that he "just had to hear [the roar of the crowd] one more time". [cite web | work=Washington Post | url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-1154368.html | title=One Last Hurrah | accessdate=2008-06-25]

In 1992 he was elected inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

On October 13, 2007, Riggins was inducted into the University of Kansas' Ring of Honor at Memorial Stadium.

Personal

Riggins has been married twice and has five children. He now resides in Cabin John, MD, near the Potomac River.Fact|date=July 2008

References

External links

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* [http://www.bringriggoback.com Sign petition to bring The John Riggins Show back on the radio]