1975 Profile: John Riggins

Running Back
No. 44
Kansas
"Among the top ten in rushing in the AFC in 1974 despite missing four games with an injury, he 'has the potential to be the greatest fullback to play the game,' says Charley Winner about Riggins. John is one of the keys to the Jet attack, both with his rushing ability and his strength as a blocker on both pass and run situations. He had three games of 100 yards or more last year and finished in a tie for scoring leadership on the Jets with Richard Caster with 42 points on seven touchdowns. The seven TDs were second only to his career high of eight in one year, that established in 1972.
Riggins drove for 116 yards in the season opener against Kansas City and later in the season had 100 against New England. His other 100-yard effort was in the finale with 107 at Baltimore. He suffered a sterno-clavicular sprain of the left shoulder in the sixth game (against Baltimore) and was on the sidelines for four weeks.
He returned in fine style against Miami at Shea with a 93-yard effort. He tied the Jet record for touchdowns in one game with three against San Diego; in that game he ran for two and caught a Joe Namath pass for the third.
After four years with the Jets, Riggins is already the fourth leading rusher in club history with 2,875 yards. He has been over 100 yards seven times in his career. His best day as a pro came in 1972 when he ran for 168 yards against New England.
As a rookie (1971) John became the first Jet to lead the team in both rushing and receiving. During 1972 he showed exactly what type of player he can be when he raced for 944 yards, only four yards shy of Matt Snell's Jet record. That season his blocking also took the form that the Jets desire. He missed the final two games in '72 with knee surgery to remove a particle that impaired his running motion. John has caught 99 career passes, among them a 67-yarder against Baltimore in 1972. Former coach Weeb Ewbank compares Riggins with to Marion Motley and Alan Ameche as a fullback.
A first round draft choice in 1971, John majored in journalism and public relations. He hails from Centralia, Kansas, a small town with 500 people and no street signs. His biggest thrill in sports was seeing himself on a bubble gum card."

-The New York Jets Official 1975 Yearbook