John Riggins is about to get one more piece of hardware for a career that already sits in rare company.
The Washington Commanders announced they will retire the No. 44 jersey of the former Kansas star later this fall, with the honor set for Sunday, Nov. 8, when Washington faces the Los Angeles Rams. Riggins, known as “Riggo” and “The Diesel,” will become only the seventh player in franchise history to have his number retired, joining Sammy Baugh, Bobby Mitchell, Sean Taylor, Sonny Jurgensen, Darrell Green, and Art Monk.
For Kansas fans, the tribute lands on a player whose legacy started long before his NFL peak. Riggins was already a KU icon by the time he left Lawrence, and the school has recognized him in the Kansas football Ring of Honor in 2007, the Kansas Athletics Hall of Fame in 1984, and the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame in 1999.
His three seasons as a fullback from 1968 through 1970 were loaded with production. The Centralia, Kansas, native ran for 2,659 yards at 5.1 yards per carry and scored 21 touchdowns, breaking the previous school rushing record held by Gale Sayers.
His senior season was the one that really stamped him into Kansas football history. In 1970, Riggins led the Big Eight in rushing attempts with 209 and rushing yards with 1,131. Both that yardage total and his 14 touchdowns from scrimmage still sit among the top 10 single-season marks in the Kansas record book.
That season also brought First Team All-Big Eight honors, giving Riggins his third conference recognition after a First Team selection in 1968 and a Second Team nod in 1969.
The numbers at Kansas turned into a first-round NFL future. Riggins went No. 6 overall to the New York Jets in the 1971 NFL Draft, spent five seasons there, and then moved on to Washington ahead of the 1976 season.
That’s where his professional career reached its highest gear. Riggins helped Washington reach back-to-back Super Bowls in 1983 and 1984, leading the league in rushing in both seasons. In Super Bowl XVII, he powered Washington to its first title with an MVP performance that included 166 rushing yards on 38 carries and his signature 43-yard touchdown run on fourth down in the fourth quarter to put Washington in front.
By the end of his nine seasons in Washington, Riggins had piled up 7,472 rushing yards on 1,988 carries and 79 rushing touchdowns, all franchise records. He also became the second player in NFL history to reach 100 rushing touchdowns, behind Jim Brown.
Washington had already honored him once before, inducting him into its Ring of Fame in 1990 alongside Joe Theismann. That’s when Riggins famously ran onto the field in full uniform to “hear the roar of the crowd one more time.” He was later inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1992 in his first year of eligibility.
In Other News...
Kansas Football Just Made A Massive Statement About Its Future
Kansas is putting a major stamp on its football future with the ongoing renovation of David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium, a centerpiece of the Gateway District project that has quickly become one of the most ambitious facility pushes in the sport. The upgrades are designed to bring in improved seating, modern fan amenities and a more polished game-day atmosphere, all while signaling that the program under Travis Goff and Lance Leipold is serious about building something lasting.
The project also carries real weight beyond aesthetics, because it gives Kansas a chance to present itself more like a Power Four program when it comes to recruiting and the overall experience around the team. With completion expected by 2027 or 2028, the stadium work is still unfolding, but the message is already clear: Kansas is investing heavily in a future it expects to compete for at a much higher level. [Read more 🡒]
Former Jayhawk Lands In Shocking New Legal Trouble
A former Kansas basketball player is back in the news for all the wrong reasons, with Lagerald Montrell Vick arrested in Memphis and booked into Shelby County jail after a July 4 incident at a party. The case has already taken on serious weight because investigators say a shooting was involved, and Vick is now facing a separate firearm-related charge as the legal process begins to unfold.
For Kansas fans, the troubling part is that this is not an isolated off-court issue. Vick already had a pending case from an earlier arrest in April that involved aggravated burglary, theft and vandalism allegations, and now he is dealing with another court fight on top of that. His bond was set at $1.5 million, leaving a once-familiar Jayhawk name tied to a rapidly escalating legal situation with a lot still unresolved. [Read more 🡒]
Former Kansas Star Just Reopened A Frustrating Jayhawks Debate
The recruiting pitch around Kansas has never been more delicate, especially with the Jayhawks already looking ahead to the Class of 2027 and keeping tabs on prospects such as Javon Bardwell and Demarcus Henry. At the same time, the program and the Big 12 are leaning harder into new corporate sponsorships, with uniform patches tied to NIL support becoming part of the backdrop around the roster-building effort.
So when a former Kansas star and projected top pick says he did not enjoy his time in Lawrence because the ball was not in his hands often enough, it naturally reopens an old debate about role, usage and what elite talent expects from a blueblood program. For Kansas, it is the kind of comment that lingers because it touches both the past and the future, right as the Jayhawks try to sell the next wave of recruits on a place where the fit has to work for everyone. [Read more 🡒]