John Riggins
John Riggins was born in Seneca, Kansas, United States on August 4th, 1949 and is the Football Player. At the age of 74, John Riggins biography, profession, age, height, weight, eye color, hair color, build, measurements, education, career, dating/affair, family, news updates, and networth are available.
At 74 years old, John Riggins has this physical status:
Robert John Riggins (born August 4, 1949), nicknamed "The Diesel" and "Riggo," is an American former football running back who competed in the National Football League (NFL) for the New York Jets and Washington Redskins.
He was known for his versatile running style and output well into the later years of his career; in 1983, he rushed for a NFL single-season record of 24 touchdowns and then led the league in rushing touchdowns after age 35.
Despite his appearance in just one Pro Bowl appearance, Riggins had his best success in the postseason and was named Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl XVII, in which he scored one touchdown and rushed for 166 yards in a 27-17 victory over the Miami Dolphins.
In 1992, Riggins was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Early life
Riggins was born in Seneca, Kansas, of partial Czech descent, and attended Centralia High School in Centralia, Kansas. He was a three-sport athlete at the University of Alabama, receiving high school All-American recognition in football, all-state awards in basketball, and twice winning the Class B 100-yard dash state championship.
Riggins' high school is now located on John Riggins Avenue, which winds through a central part of Centralia.
On October 12, 2012, John, along with his brothers Frank (Junior) and Bill Riggins, were on hand to dedicate the Centralia High School football field to their parents, Franklin Eugene and Mildred Riggins. A plaque was donated by the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and NFL Films was on hand to film the game. The Riggins brothers were in center field for the first coin toss and the Centralia High School Panthers advanced to defeat the Troy (Kansas) High School Trojans by a score of 55–0.
Personal life
Robert, Portia, Emil, Liberty, Hannah, and Coco have all been married twice and have six children. He and his wife Lisa Marie now live in Cabin John, Maryland, along the Potomac River.
Riggins blasted Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor "too uptight" when the two met at dinner at the 1985 National Press Club's Salute to Congress, when she was "too uptight." Riggins then collapsed asleep under the table. Justice O'Connor and John Riggins met at a function years later, he gave her a dozen roses.
College career
Riggins played for the University of Kansas and was a first-time All-American and second-team pick in the All-Big Eight Conference. In 1968, Riggins led the Jayhawks to a Big Eight Conference championship win. The team then qualified for the 1969 Orange Bowl, but they lost to Penn State, 15-14.
Riggins ran for 1,131 yards and scored a then school record 14 touchdowns during his senior season in 1970. He finished his career with 2,659 rushing yards, which tied Gale Sayers' career rushing record for the school Riggins, who is now ranked fifth in Kansas' all-time rushing leaders and 14th for total yards.
Riggins majored in journalism while at Kansas University.
Professional career
In the first round of the New York Jets, Riggins was the first running back selected in the 1971 NFL Draft at 6th place. As a rookie, he was the first Jet to lead the team in both rushing and receiving. The Jets posted a team record of 333 yards against the New England Patriots on October 15, 1972, defeating them 41–13. Both Riggins, who had 168 yards, and Emerson Boozer, who had 150 yards, became the first running back tandem in franchise history to combine for 150 yards in a game. Although Riggins was unable to attend the final two games in 1972 due to knee replacement, Riggins rushed for 944 yards, four yards less than Matt Snell's franchise record.
Despite missing four games due to a shoulder injury, Riggins was one of the top ten rushers in the American Football Conference in 1974. With 2,875 yards, he was already the fourth-leading rusher in team history after only four years with the Jets. Riggins became the first player in franchise history to rush for 1,000 or more yards in a season in 1975. He ran for 121 yards against the Dallas Cowboys on December 21, 1975, giving him 1,005 for the season. Riggins made his first appearance in the Pro Bowl in what turned out to be his last season with the Jets.
In 1972 and 1975, Riggins was named the Jets' MVP (now known as the Martin Award).
Riggins made his first year with the Washington Redskins in 1976, earning him a five-year, $1.5 million contract, relative to the $63,000 he earned in his last year with the Jets. In his first season with Washington, he was mostly employed in short-yardage situations, but he missed a large portion of 1977 due to a knee injury. However, he saw more than 1,000 yards per season over the next two seasons, and was a vital part of the Redskins' offense.
Riggins begged to renegotiate his $300,000-per-year job during training camp in July 1980, but the Redskins refused. He then left camp and the Redskins placed him on the left camp-retired list, effectively ending his eligibility to play for any other team in the league. When new Washington head coach Joe Gibbs went to Kansas to make a peace bid, he stayed out the 1980 season and did not return to the Redskins until 1981.
Gibbs recalled, "He had a camouflage jacket on."
Ed Garvey, the executive director of the NFL Players Association, was among Riggins' returns.
Riggins returned to training camp in 1981 with a new deal, saying, "I'm bored, I'm broke, and I'm back."
Riggins was only 714 passing yards but scored 13 touchdowns on his return to the game in 1981.
Riggins led the team with 553 passing yards but averaged just 3.1 yards per carry during the 1982 season. During the playoffs, he was much more successful, gaining 444 yards over the Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings (where he had a franchise playoff record of 185 yards), and Dallas Cowboys, as well as helping the Redskins win Super Bowl XVII. As the Redskins defeated the Miami Dolphins 27-17, Riggins ran for a then-Super Bowl record 166 yards on 38 attempts. He was then named Super Bowl MVP.
The game's most important play was a play that was meant to gain short yardage called "70 chip." Riggins took a handoff on 4th-and-inches, a hard-armed cornerback Don McNeal, and ran for a 43-yard touchdown with ten minutes remaining. The Redskins' first championship victory since 1942, after 1942. In the four playoff games, the Riggins' total of 610 yards represented 43% of Washington's offense. His four straight playoff games with over 100 yards were the highest in NFL history. Fans announced Riggins' as the Redskins' Greatest Moment on December 6, 2007.
The 610 rushing yards and 625 yards from scrimmage were all single NFL postseason records.
Riggins, who later became a All-Pro for the first time in his career, ran for 1,347 yards, scored a then-NFL record 24 touchdowns, and was named All-Pro for the first time in his career. In their two playoff games, the tigers had another outstanding postseason, rushing for 242 yards and five touchdowns, extending his NFL record of at least 100 rushing yards to six. In the Redskins' 38–9 Super Bowl XVIII loss to the Los Angeles Raiders, however, he only passed for 64 yards and a touchdown.
In the 1983 season, Riggins' two other major accomplishments occurred. During a 42-20 victory over the Los Angeles Rams on November 20, 1983, he set a record by scoring in his 12th straight game. The following week, he will have played in 13 consecutive games. Mark Moseley set a new NFL record by scoring 161 points in a season, putting him second in scoring. Riggins, who scored 144 points, was second on the season scoring list. This was the first time the top two scorers in a season played on the same squad since 1951.
Despite a poor back, Riggins rushed for 1,239 yards in 1984 and tied for the league lead in rush TDs (14). In 1985, he rushed for more than 100 yards in three of his last four starts before being replaced by George Rogers as the starter. He resigned after that season.
Riggins played 175 games in 14 seasons, totaling 13,442 yards (11,352 passing and 2,090 receiving) and 116 total touchdowns (104 rushing and 12 receiving). In 35 games, 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. In the playoffs, he ran 251 times for 996 yards. In nine post-season games, he had 12 touchdowns, good for his fourth all-time tie with Terrell Davis and Marshawn Lynch. He was the second quarterback to rush for over 100 touchdowns in NFL history, and the first to do so since Jim Brown in 1965.
Riggins and Joe Theismann were inducted into the Redskins' Ring of Fame on October 21, 1990. When Riggins' name was called, he ran into the field in complete Redskins gear, including pads, and was welcomed by the audience at RFK Stadium with roaring applause. Riggins later explained that he "just had to hear [the crowd's roar] one more time."
He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1992.
Riggins was inducted into the University of Kansas' Ring of Honor at Memorial Stadium on October 13, 2007.