The Washington Commanders had a once-in-a-lifetime player and personality in running back John Riggins — now they’ll make sure his iconic No. 44 jersey will be honored forever.
“Commanders are retiring John Riggins’ No.44 jersey on Sunday, Nov. 8th, when Washington hosts the Los Angeles Rams,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter wrote on his official X account on Thursday.
Riggins, who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1992, played for Washington from 1976 to 1985. He led the NFL in rushing touchdowns twice and was named to the NFL’s 1980s All-Decade Team.
The greatest moments of Riggins’ career came in the 1982 season, when he set NFL postseason records of 136 carries and 610 rushing yards in 4 games, including a playoff single-game record of 185 rushing yards in a win over the Minnesota Vikings.
Riggins saved his best for Super Bowl XVII, where he had 38 carries for a Super Bowl-record 166 rushing yards in a 27-17 win over the Miami Dolphins on the way to being named Super Bowl MVP.
This season, we celebrate the bright legacy of No. 44.
Riggins’ No. 44 will be the 7th retired jersey in franchise history following quarterback Sonny Jurgensen (No. 9), free safety Sean Taylor (No. 26), cornerback Darrell Green (No. 28), quarterback/safety/punter Sammy Baugh (No. 33), halfback/wide receiver Bobby Mitchell (No. 49), and wide receiver Art Monk (No. 81).
The Commanders have 5 more jersey numbers that aren’t officially retired but not in use — quarterback Joe Theismann (No. 7), wide receiver Charley Taylor (No. 42), running back Larry Brown (No. 43), defensive tackle Dave Butz (No. 65), and linebacker Sam Huff (No. 70).
Proof the Jets Have Been Bad for a Long Time
Riggins grew up in tiny Seneca, Kansas (pop. 2,139) before going on to star at the University of Kansas, where he was a 3-time All-Big Eight selection before the Jets selected him in the 1st round (No. 6 overall) of the 1971 NFL Draft.
In 5 seasons with the Jets, Riggins rushed for 3,880 yards and 25 touchdowns in an era where the NFL was playing a 14-game regular-season schedule, and Riggins missed multiple games in 3 of those seasons.
After making $63,000 in his final season with the Jets in 1975, Riggins signed an incredible 5-year, $1.5 million free-agent contract with Washington.
Riggins: Outstanding Play and Outsized Personality
Over the years — and certainly in his post-playing career — stories of Riggins’ outsized personality have turned him into a Paul Bunyan-like figure in the annals of professional football.
Two incidents seem to stand out above all the rest.
The 1st was a contract dispute that saw him sit out the entire 1980 season after the franchise refused to renegotiate his $300,000 annual salary.
Rookie head coach Joe Gibbs went to Riggins’ farm in Kansas to visit with him before the 1981 season and found Riggins drinking beer at 10 a.m., dressed in camouflage and ready to hunt. Riggins told Gibbs he needed him to play and that he “would make him famous” — leading Gibbs to believe he was an egomaniac who needed to be traded.
When Riggins called Gibbs to tell him he would return to the team, Gibbs celebrated that his plan was in motion for a trade until Riggins dropped the hammer on him — he’d had Washington include a no-trade clause in his contract.
Less than 2 years later, the 2 were Super Bowl champions.
The 2nd and most famous incident involving Riggins came at the 1985 National Press Club’s Salute to Congress, where he told Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor to “Loosen up, Sandy Baby,” because she was “too uptight” before drunkenly passing out underneath a table.
Riggins later gifted Justice O’Connor a dozen red roses when they met again.
Commanders Will Retire Hall of Fame RB John Riggins’ Jersey in Week 9