Your favorite Kansas Jayhawk: John Riggins

Originally posted on Gridiron Heroics | By Steven Wallace | Last updated 7/21/22

Early life

Your favorite Jayhawks: John Riggins

Welcome to a series on your favorite Jayhawk players from the past. Today we start with John Riggins. When you think of famous KU running backs…you either think of Gale Sayers or John Riggins. Riggins, a 6’2″ 235 high school phenom, grew up 70 miles from Lawrence KS in Seneca. Riggins played in his older brother Frank’s shadow for most of his life at Centraila Central High School. Like his brother, Riggins didn’t go far for college, enrolling at KU in 1967. After sitting out his freshman season (as was required back then) Riggins would run for 2659 yds and 21 combined TDs between the 1968-70 seasons.

Modern Day 5 star

Riggins, at 6’2″ and 235 pounds, was a 2 time all-state QB, an all-state basketball player, and a 2 time state champion in the 100 meter dash. His combination of size, speed, and athleticism made him a recruiting target for Head Coach Pepper Rodgers.

If you look at the top 50 Kansas high school football players of the last 20 years, Riggins stacks up better than most. Bigger, slightly slower, but more athletically well-rounded, Riggins would be a 5 star lock today.

With a game similar to modern day players like Leonard Fournette–Riggins also struggled with staying motivated.

Kansas Football

Riggins’ time at KU saw the Jayhawks go to a bowl game for the third time in 80 years…a 14-15 loss to Penn State in the Orange Bowl. He ran for 866 yds and 6 TDs in that season, lead blocking for his big brother Frank, who added 491 yds of offense and 5 TDs. John Riggins first season with his brother was also their last, as Frank would graduate after the Orange Bowl loss. The Jayhawks would finish 7th in the AP poll that year–the highest mark they’d achieve with Riggins on the team.

His 1969 season was a disappointment. Riggins ran for 200 less yards than his 1968 campaign with 40 more carries and only found the endzone once. The Jayhawks finished 1-9.

In 1970, Riggins went off, running for 1131 yards and 14 TDs. His 14TDs were the most scored in a season in Jayhawk history until it was broken by June Henly in 1996. The Jayhawks would go 5-6 in Riggins’ final season. Riggins was picked #6 overall in the 1971 NFL draft by the New York Jets. He would later rise to fame with the early 80s Washington Redskins teams.

Riggins was inducted into the Kansas Ring of Honor in 2007.

This article first appeared on Gridiron Heroics and was syndicated with permission.

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