Riggins, John
Football
b. Aug. 4, 1949, Centralia, KS
The 6-foot-2, 230-pound Riggins, a 100-yard dash champion while in high school, was a three-year starter as a running back at the University of Kansas. He gained 1,131 yards in 1970, his senior year, and 2,706 for his career, breaking Gale Sayers' former school records.
Riggins joined the NFL's New York Jets as their first-round draft choice in 1971. He spent five seasons with the Jets, earning $75,000 in his final year, then signed a four-year, $1.5 million contract with the Washington Redskins as a free agent in 1976.
He was used mostly in short-yardage situations in his first season with Washington and he missed much of the 1977 season with a knee injury. But he gained more than 1,000 yards each of the next two seasons.
Riggins held out for more money and missed the entire 1980 season. He returned to the Redskin training camp with a new contract in 1981, announcing, "I'm bored, I'm broke, and I'm back." He was limited to just 714 yards that season but he scored 13 touchdowns.
After gaining 553 yards in the strike-shortened 1982 season, Riggins was outstanding during the playoffs, gaining 444 yards in victories over the Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings, and Dallas Cowboys. He was then named MVP of Super Bowl XVII after rushing for 166 yards on 38 carries in Washington's 27-17 victory over the Miami Dolphins. That effort included a 43-yard touchdown run on a 4th-and-one, fourth-quarter play that put the Redskins ahead to stay. Riggins' total of 610 yards amounted to 43 percent of Washington's offense in the four playoff games.
Riggins won the Bert Bell Trophy as the league's player of the year in 1983, when he gained 1,347 yards on 375 carries, a 3.6 average, and scored a record 24 touchdowns.
Despite a bad back, Riggins gained 1,239 yards in 1984, and he rushed for more than 100 yards in three of the first four games in 1985 before being replaced by George Rogers. Riggins retired after that season.
A unique aspect of Riggins' career was that he gained more yardage after he turned thirty than he did during his twenties. In his 14 NFL seasons, he rushed 2,916 times for 11,352 yards, a 3.9 average, and 104 touchdowns. He caught 250 passes for 2,090 yards, an 8.4 average, and 12 touchdowns.
Known as a free spirit, Riggins sported Afro and Mohawk hairstyles at various times during his NFL career. During a Washington Press Club Salute to Congress dinner, he remarked to Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Conner, "Come on, Sandy, baby, loosen up. You're too tight." He sent her a bouquet of roses by way of apology the next day.
Since retiring from football, Riggins has hosted a radio talk show, served as an analyst for Redskin games, and acted in movies and on television.