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WASRIGGINS—

John Riggins

Retired

Washington Commanders · RB

John Riggins recorded 175 indexed regular-season NFL appearances across 14 rostered seasons with WSH, Washington Redskins, New York Jets.

▶Best highlights

64.9

rush yds/gm

11.9

rec yds/gm

9

playoff games

175

career games

Five defining games

Start here

A provisional five-game introduction to John Riggins's most significant indexed performances.

Super Bowl
XVII
W
MIAMIDOLPHINS
WSH
JAN 30, 1983

Miami Dolphins vs WSH

Super Bowl XVII · Jan 30, 1983

166 rush yds · 1 rush TD · 1 rec

Divisional Round
1983
W
LOS ANGELESRAMS
WSH
JAN 1, 1984

Los Angeles Rams vs WSH

Divisional Round · Jan 1, 1984

119 rush yds · 3 rush TD · 0 rec

Regular Season
1975
NEW YORKJETS
NEW ENGLANDPATRIOTS
DEC 7, 1975

New York Jets vs New England Patriots

Regular Season · Dec 7, 1975

152 rush yds · 2 rush TD · 2 rec

Regular Season
1975
NEW YORKJETS
KANSAS CITYCHIEFS
SEP 28, 1975

New York Jets vs Kansas City Chiefs

Regular Season · Sep 28, 1975

145 rush yds · 2 rush TD · 2 rec

Conference Championship
1982
W
DALLASCOWBOYS
WSH
JAN 22, 1983

Dallas Cowboys vs WSH

Conference Championship · Jan 22, 1983

140 rush yds · 2 rush TD · 0 rec

Single-game peaks

Career highs

Position-relevant single-game records from John Riggins's indexed NFL box scores.

Career high: 185 rushing yards

Divisional Round
1982
W
MINNESOTAVIKINGS
WSH
JAN 15, 1983

Minnesota Vikings vs WSH

Divisional Round · Jan 15, 1983

185 rush yds · 1 rush TD · 0 rec

Career high: 3 rushing touchdowns

Regular Season
1985
W
DETROITLIONS
WSH
OCT 13, 1985

Detroit Lions vs WSH

Regular Season · Oct 13, 1985

114 rush yds · 3 rush TD · 1 rec

Career high: 77 receiving yards

Regular Season
1975
NEW YORKJETS
MINNESOTAVIKINGS
OCT 12, 1975

New York Jets vs Minnesota Vikings

Regular Season · Oct 12, 1975

45 rush yds · 1 rush TD · 4 rec

Career chapters

Franchise eras

Follow the team eras that shaped John Riggins's career, in chronological order.

Earliest → latest

Franchise era

1969–1980

01
NYJRIGGINS—John Riggins
NYJNAMATH12Joe Namath
NYJWALKER—Wesley Walker

Aging stars give way to a slow rebuild

New York Jets · After the guarantee

Injuries limited Namath and New York spent much of the 1970s searching before a young defensive line began to emerge.

Read the era story →

Franchise era

1969–1980

02
WASRIGGINS—John Riggins
WASJURGENSEN—Sonny Jurgensen
WASBROWN84Larry Brown

The Over-the-Hill Gang reaches the Super Bowl

Washington Commanders · Allen restores belief

Vince Lombardi's brief season and George Allen's veteran teams immediately restored winning and delivered a Super Bowl trip after the 1972 season.

Read the era story →

Franchise era

1981–1992

03
WASRIGGINS—John Riggins
WASMONK—Art Monk
WASGREEN28Darrell Green

Three quarterbacks, three championship teams

Washington Commanders · The Gibbs dynasty

Gibbs adapted his offense around different quarterbacks and dominant lines, winning Super Bowls after the 1982, 1987 and 1991 seasons.

Read the era story →

Career accomplishments

NFL rushing touchdowns leader · 1983, 198414 NFL seasons175 career games11,352 career rushing yards104 career rushing touchdowns250 career receptions2,090 career receiving yards12 career receiving touchdownsJersey: 09 playoff appearances2 Super Bowl appearancesFirst appearance: Sep 19, 1971Most recent: Dec 1, 1985

Official awards via ESPN · Pro Bowl and All-Pro counts via NFLverse with selection years cross-checked against Wikipedia · league leads verified from indexed regular-season stats

Team history