John Riggins was known for his powerful running style and productivity well into the latter years of his career: in 1983 at age 34, he rushed for an NFL single-season record 24 touchdowns and again led the league in rushing touchdowns the following year at age 35.
43 Facts About John Riggins
2.
John Riggins was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1992.
3.
John Riggins was born in Seneca, Kansas, of partial Czech ancestry and attended Centralia High School in Centralia, Kansas.
4.
John Riggins attended the University of Kansas and played for the Jayhawks, where he was an All-American and two-time All-Big Eight Conference first-team selection.
5.
John Riggins led the Jayhawks to a Big Eight Conference championship win in 1968.
6.
John Riggins finished his career with 2,659 rushing yards, which broke Gale Sayers's career rushing record for the school Riggins is ranked fifth for Kansas' all-time rushing leaders and 14th for total yards.
7.
John Riggins was the first running back selected in the 1971 NFL Draft at 6th in the first round by the New York Jets.
8.
John Riggins, who had 168 yards, and Emerson Boozer, who had 150 yards, became the only running back tandem in franchise history who both rushed for 150 yards in a game.
9.
John Riggins was among the top ten rushers in the American Football Conference in 1974 despite missing four games with a shoulder injury.
10.
In 1975, John Riggins became the first player in franchise history to rush for 1,000 or more yards in a season.
11.
In what turned out to be his last season with the Jets, John Riggins made his only appearance in the Pro Bowl.
12.
John Riggins was named the Jets' MVP in 1972 and 1975.
13.
In 1976, John Riggins signed as a free agent with the Washington Redskins, who offered him a five-year, $1.5 million contract, compared to the $63,000 he earned in his final year with the Jets.
14.
John Riggins was used mostly in short-yardage situations in his first season with Washington and missed much of the 1977 season with a knee injury.
15.
John Riggins 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.
16.
John Riggins sat out the 1980 season and did not rejoin the Redskins until 1981, when new Washington head coach Joe Gibbs traveled to Kansas to make a peace offering.
17.
John Riggins says, 'Joe, I made up my mind, and I'm going to play next season.
18.
John Riggins' return came at the suggestion of Ed Garvey, who was the executive director of the NFL Players Association.
19.
John Riggins was much more successful during the playoffs, during which he gained 444 yards in victories over the Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings, and Dallas Cowboys, and helped the Redskins reach Super Bowl XVII.
20.
John Riggins's four consecutive playoff games with over 100 yards was an NFL postseason record.
21.
On December 6,2007, John Riggins' run was voted by fans as the Redskins' Greatest Moment.
22.
In 1983, John 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.
23.
John Riggins went on to have another outstanding postseason, rushing for 242 yards and five touchdowns in their two playoff games, extending his NFL record of postseason games with at least 100 rushing yards to six.
24.
John Riggins, who scored 144 points, was second on the season scoring list.
25.
John Riggins gained 1,239 yards in 1984 and tied for the league lead in rushing TDs, despite a bad back.
26.
John Riggins played 175 games in 14 seasons, had 13,442 total yards and 116 total touchdowns.
27.
John 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.
28.
John Riggins rushed 251 times for 996 yards in the playoffs.
29.
John Riggins had 12 touchdowns in nine post-season contests, good for fourth all-time tied with Terrell Davis and Marshawn Lynch.
30.
John Riggins 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.
31.
John Riggins later explained that he "just had to hear [the roar of the crowd] one more time".
32.
On October 13,2007, John Riggins was inducted into the University of Kansas' Ring of Honor at Memorial Stadium.
33.
John Riggins' acting career began at Centralia High when a teacher cast him as the lead role in his junior play.
34.
John Riggins starred as a beleaguered head football coach accused of inappropriate recruiting practices.
35.
Since retiring from professional football, John Riggins has worked as a sports commentator on television and radio.
36.
Since 2006, John Riggins has served as color commentator on Westwood One for the network's weekly national radio broadcast of Sunday Night Football.
37.
John Riggins stayed with ESPN 980 as a commentator at large.
38.
On January 3,2008, John Riggins co-hosted the 74th Orange Bowl pre-game show.
39.
John Riggins has been critical on his radio shows of the current management of the Washington Redskins under owner Dan Snyder.
40.
In 2016, John Riggins returned to ESPN 980 Redskins radio in a variety of roles.
41.
Additionally, John Riggins co-hosted the Washington Redskins Radio Network pregame show with Kevin Sheehan before every Redskins game.
42.
John Riggins has been married twice and has six children Robert, Portia, Emil, Liberty, Hannah and Coco.
43.
The next time Justice O'Connor and John Riggins met at a function years later, he gave her a dozen roses.