1974 Profile: John Riggins

Running Back
No. 44
Kansas
"'John has the potential to be the greatest fullback ever to play this game,' says head coach Charley Winner ... it is all up to John to fulfill that potential.' Riggins missed all of training camp while wrestling with a contract dispute and deciding whether he wanted to play. When he reported, five days before the opening game, he was rusty but in good shape. He finished up with 482 yards and four touchdowns but never quite did get to the form that propelled him to stardom in his sophomore season when he ran for 944 yards.
John regained his accustomed starting position in the second game and improved steadily. He broke out for his second best day in history with a 132-yard effort against New England. He had back-to-back days of 79 and 96 yards against Miami and New England at Shea before injuring his shoulder early in the game at Cincinnati. That injury knocked him onto the inactive list for four of the last five games and kept his duty limited in the other.
During 1972, he showed that he is a great one who can carry the load. His 944 yards were just four yards shy of Matt Snell's Jet season mark and his blocking developed to a fine point. Despite missing the final two games of '72 with minor knee surgery, he carried the ball 207 times, also second only to Snell. Riggins had his best day as a pro with 168 yards at New England on 32 carries, one of three 100-plus afternoons. As a rookie he became the first Jet ever to lead the team in rushing and receiving.
Riggins teams up well with Emerson Boozer in the backfield and is a key to the Jets offense. He has caught 80 career passes, among them a 67-yard touchdown grab against Baltimore in 1972. Weeb Ewbank compares Riggins to Alan Ameche and Marion Motley in terms of potential. 'One of the fastest learners I ever had,' says Ewbank.
A first round draft choice in 1971, John majored in journalism and public relations. He set a 60-yard dash state record in high school with a 6.4, and was twice a state 100-yard dash champ with a 9.8. John hails from Centralia, Kansas, a small town with only 500 people and no street signs. His biggest thrill in sports was seeing himself on a bubble gum card."

-The New York Jets Official 1974 Yearbook