A question from a young skins fan

[ph33rtheD]

Hey I wanna know what was John Riggins like in his prime. Compare him to someone that plays today so I can get an idea. I have seen clips here and there but I wanna know from someone who has watched him play while he was playing

[BandWagon]

A tank! All kidding aside that's an interesting question. Maybe a bit Jerome Bettis like. Just a straight ahead bruiser with surprising quickness and burst. I'm too young to remember him with the Jets. I just remember him in his 30's. I'll be curious to hear what others think.

[Kope65]

Most comparable back these days is the Jamal Lewis, the RB from Baltimore. One of the things folks overlook about Riggo - he was faster than most DBs. He was a 100m champ in Kansas.

He would get about 2.5- 3.0 yards a carry in the first half and about 5.0 in the second half. I cant count how many times he would have 34 yards at the half and finish with 110 for the game.

He also blocked like a tank. I remember a play where he was lead blocking for Joe Washington, hit a guy at the goal line and the guy's helmet went out the back of the end zone.

But the most imporntant thing about him is he was tougher / meaner than any back in the league now. He flat refused to go down or quit. During the 82 playoffs he could only manage 1 practice a week (saturday) but still ran like....well....a truck on game day. He would beat a team down by himself. That is why the fans loved him.

[Skinz4lyfe]

I'll compare him to the Bus, Jerome Bettis. Riggins was a walking make truck but he was quick on his feet to be such a big guy. Kope hit it on the button saying that he would spend the first half of many games just plowing away, getting 2-3 yards a carry. Since I was younger at the time I didn't realize what Gibbs was trying to do so I'd get frustrated. Then closer to the end of the 3rd quarter he'd start getting 5-6 yards. Then all of a sudden, Boom he'd break a 20 yarder here or a 15 yarder there. And just when all 11 guys knew the run was coming Gibbs would go to play action and stick a fork in the opposition. Ahhh, those were the good 'ol days.

[ph33rtheD]

this is a long shot but do you remeber his forty?

[gibbsisgod]

Bettis is close with the way he runs, but riggo would shed tackles like no other. This man was wild too, one time he walked to a playoff game. He was picked up on the highway by the redskins staff.

[dogfight6]

Betis is a good comparason but Riggo was faster and the more he carried the better he got, He was as hard to tackle as a brick wall and as for his 40yd time it was hard to time him with his beer can, however he never met a Supreme Court Justice he didn't like. He was the only back that was allowed to be called one of the "Hogs" mostly because he also blocked like a Tackle{ Jansen not Samules}. Riggo was a true Football Player!

[warpaint]

riggins was one of my all time favorite players the others being green and monk. ( third down and one yard to go for a first down ) unlike this year when there was doubt as to whether we would get that one yard , with riggins it was like money in the bank.

[GibbsFan]

Riggins was a great back who just refused to go down. His 40 time was in the 4.6 - 4.7 range. However, once he had a full head of steam he could run with most. Its hard to find anyone today who compares because he was so unique. Extremely dependable carrying the football, and he rarely fumbled.

[skinsfan44]

Yes, John Riggins was the MAN!!!!

He earned his nickname "The Diesel" in the way he ran.

He would run defenders over like a big truck.

Jerome Bettis is a close comparason of todays running backs.

If you get a chance to watch the '82 playoff games, you will see Riggins at his finest.

[Brokenstriker]

just reading through this ... Lewis, Bettis yes ... but not exactly. You might want to include Hershall Walker in there. Riggins was strong, not a beast but strong enough physically to deliver what his confidence signed up for, stubborn force of will that could be compared to Walter Peyton. Riggins almost always fell forward when tackled ... a extremely valuable trait for a RB and surprisingly rare ... only the top backs manage this so frequently. I remember the 100m Kansas champion ... I think it was the state High School record, I seem to recall that he ran track at Kansas also. Lost in all of this is that he was an excellent receiver. When he was with the NY Jets before coming to the Skins he had a notably high number of receptions out of the backfield ... and Namath was noted for throwing so hard that at least one starting WR (Knight) from a small school with no overwhelming talents stuck with the Jets primarily because he could catch what Namath threw ... so I assume Riggo had not just good hands but exceptionally good hands. You could also compare him to John Elway ... because when Riggins was in the game ... no game was lost until the final second came off the clock ... he didn't scare too many with 40+ yard runs ... but if there was time for 4 to 8 plays ... there was a pretty good chance that the Diesel would take the Skins to at least field goal range ... stacking the line didn't matter he would pick up the first downs at the end of the game ... 3+ yards per carry or better ... like the American Spirit ... undeniable and too stubborn to accept that it can't be done

[OCSkinzFan]

One thing I remember about Riggo that nobody has said yet is that I can't remember ONE person EVER tackling him. If he was running up the gut some D lineman would hit him and he'd kind'a pinball through the line till a LB grabbed him and then four or five other defenders would jump on the pile that was maybe 2 yards from the line of scrimmage. You'd see those burgundy knees churning away. Then he would fall foreword, the pile would move another 2 yards and he'd end up with a 4 yard gain. He could make four yards out of nothing.

If he got into the d'backs they'd just try to grab his jersey (so he couldn't hurt em) and they'd try hang on and wait for help. That's what was going on in that famous Super Bowl picture of him with his jersey all stretched with a Dolphin defender, looking helpless, being dragged behind him toward the end zone.

[OCSkinzFan]

Here's the run S.B. run I was talking about:

Fourth and one at Miami 's 43-yard line, 10 minutes left in the game. Joe Theismann called the play in the huddle: “Goal line, goal line. I-left, tight wing, 70 chip on white.” It was a handoff to John Riggins, the Redskins' 6-2, 240-pound running back. Riggins headed for a huge hole on the left side created by H-back Otis Wonsley and two of the celebrated Hogs, 300-pound tackle Joe Jacoby and 275-pound guard Russ Grimm.

Only Dolphins' cornerback Don McNeal stood in Riggins' way. The 5-11, 185-pound McNeal hit Riggins on the side, but “the Diesel” unceremoniously shook off McNeal and steamrolled into the Southern California sunset for a touchdown and a 20-17 lead in the fourth quarter.

[NamVet4]

John Riggins was a character on and off the field. Many of his off field exploits have been pushed to the forefront by various writers who couldn't understand the unique marriage of character and skill that is the man!
Athletic skill that was combined with a sense of self that propelled him to the top of his, and for that matter, all of the NFL running backs. There were other great running backs in the league, but there was only one who had the audacity to think he was a lineman; there was only one who had the self confidence that refused to allow him to go down on a single tackle; and finally, there was only one who had a passion for what he did on and off the field, the opinions of all be damned!
And when I sat transfixed in front of the T.V., saw the Hogs command the line of scrimmage, watching as number 44 scuffed the turf behind the line I knew that it was going to be “a cloud of dust and six yards” and the opposing team was going to pay a heavy price! Frankly, there are backs today who run like “Riggo” – but there will never be that singular combination of superb athletic skill and striking self confidence and belief in victory that is John Riggins.

[portis2endzone]

wasnt he in his 30's when we got him? who did he play for before we got him?

[OCSkinzFan]

wasnt he in his 30's when we got him? who did he play for before we got him?
He came from the Jets. He was the Jets #1 draft pick out of Kansas in 1971.
I have Riggins' 1974 Topps Card. It says:

"A superb pass catcher, John has 67 yard touchdown grab to his credit. Had his best day as a pro vs. Patriots in 1972 with 168 yards on 32 carries. John became the 1st Jet ever to lead team in rushing and receiving as rookie in 1971."

He came to the Skins in '76.

Here's a link with a picture of the famous run.

Riggo's most famous run. (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/sports/redskins/history/greats/greats.htm)

Heck I'm puttin the pic in my avatar!

[LuvSkins17]

When I was just a young lad. I saw Riggins' run against the Dolphins and I asked "Who's that big guy pulling all those guys around." I was a Redskin for life...

[BurgundyNGold]

Hey I wanna know what was John Riggins like in his prime. Compare him to someone that plays today so I can get an idea. I have seen clips here and there but I wanna know from someone who has watched him play while he was playing
Perhaps like a Jerome Bettis or a Mike Alstott. In his prime, Riggins never lost yards, even when caught in the backfield. He actually had decent speed until the last 3 or 4 years, too.

[Jimreaper007]

Hey I wanna know what was John Riggins like in his prime. Compare him to someone that plays today so I can get an idea. I have seen clips here and there but I wanna know from someone who has watched him play while he was playing


The best equation I can give you is the power/tenacity of Bettis and about the same speed as Stephen Davis. When Riggins squared his shoulders gameover.

[bgforever]

The best equation I can give you is the power/tenacity of Bettis and about the same speed as Stephen Davis. When Riggins squared his shoulders gameover.

That is where that phrase all started too, when Riggins squared his shoulders.

He was teased by a few announcers at times as being the ghost of Bronco Nagurski, because he carry a team on his back for those clock burning tough yards. I once saw opponents try to hit him in the groin on purpose, even take their fist and try hurt in his rear backside, in pileups. This was NO accident, but the frustration of opponents getting their butts whipped, turned mean spirited. Riggins would stand up after the play, being slow to get up most of the time, and there was NEVER a single NFL player to walk up to him and look him in the face to voice their frustration.

Just like a lot of cowards to hit you from behind and when you're down.

He was all man!

[Meatsnack]

To Riggins, I can only say, "Awwww, YEAH!"

When I think of that run in SB 17, it still brings tears to my eyes. I remember the exhilaration of seeing The Diesel put a SB vistory on the bag against the "perfect" Dolphins who got us '72. I remember seeing him shed Don McNeil and running for glory. I got your Killer B's right here!

Ph33rtheD, you can't compare him to backs today. The best comparisons are older backs, Christian Okoye is the closest, most recent example. Earl "the Tyler Rose" Campbell was another. Riggins was listed at 235 or 240 in the guides but he played at 255/260 by 1980, according to Don Warren. He could run a 10 second 100 yard dash at that weight too, if Warrens' testimony is to be believed.

He didn't have a lightning first step, but if got through the line clean he could outrun a lot of people. Like Jim Brown, he used his arms well to shield his body and he was light on his feet and kept them moving. He protected the ball at all times. It was so rare for him to fumble that as a Redskins fan you actually did double take when it happened.

What characterized him was that he was Undeniable. You knew with metaphysical certainty that on 3rd and anything less than 5, Riggins was going to go get those yards. And so did the other team. And he got them, time after time, running behind Jacoby and Grimm. When a team did manage to stop him short, they would celebrate like they had scored a touchdown.

As a Redskins fan during Gibbs first tenure, you became used to offensive line dominance. They would run the same plays over and over and teams just couldn't stop it. The plays were so well designed and the execution so flawless, it was like watching old films of the Lombardi Packers running the toss sweep. But Lombardi never had Riggins, who could take that one missed defender and punish him like a boy getting caught out after dark.

I love this team!

[Keino]

I think any comparison of Herschel Walker to Riggo is an insult. Walker was one of the softest and easiest to tackle "big" running backs ever.

I would compare his running style to Jerome Bettis for many of the reasons stated. I would say Lewis is a bit more explosive.......

[Skinzaholic]

I think Mike Alstott before he got injured was the same type player.

[redskifreak]

in 82' riggo spent the week in traction at the hospital and came out sat to practice and on sun. run for a absolute tough grinding 100+ game......this was every week of the playoffs till the sb........

who does that today? WHO

he was the absolute apitamy of a football player!

as well the line he ran behind was the best to ever play imo and with riggo punishing the opposition time after time and wearing them down was incredible to watch and gives me goose bumps thinking about it!

you definitly missed a era of football ill never forget! Simply awsome!!!


RAZ the Redskifreak

[ph33rtheD]

thanka you guys