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Tennessee: Riggs still hopes for pro shot

By: Stephen Hargis
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Gerald Riggs

When he’s reminded of his football accomplishments, Gerald Riggs simply shrugs his shoulders and deflects the question as easily as he once avoided would-be tacklers. But as he redirects the conversation to football in general, the former Red Bank and University of Tennessee running back’s eyes widen and his voice rises.

“I still love the game,” Riggs said. “I go to high school games as much as I can, and my TV is usually on a football game. I just love watching the games and testing myself to see if I can pick up on tendencies or judge talent.

“I could see myself being a high school assistant and working my way up to becoming a running backs coach in college. Whatever I do, I’m sure football will be involved.”

After short stints with the Miami Dolphins and Chicago Bears and one season in NFL Europe, Riggs has returned to make Chattanooga home. He continues to work out in case his agent calls with an NFL opportunity, and he hopes to turn a once-a-week gig guest-hosting WGOW’s “SportTalk” into a full-time radio job.

From 1998 to 2001, Riggs amassed more than 6,000 total yards at Red Bank, and he holds the city record of 430 career points. In his last two prep seasons he received more attention and accolades than any running back before or since.

A two-time Mr. Football state Back of the Year and the state title game’s MVP, he also won the Bobby Dodd national Back of the Year award as a senior and was named an All-American by PrepStar, Parade, SuperPrep and the U.S. Army, and recruiting analyst Tom Lemming ranked him the country’s top overall college prospect.

He ran for more than 1,100 yards his junior year at Tennessee, including 182 on 11 carries against an Auburn defense that hadn’t allowed a 100-yard rusher in 17 games. Riggs considered turning pro immediately after that year, but his parents and UT coaches felt his NFL stock would rise if he returned for his senior season.

That 2005 season was not only disastrous for UT as a team, but Riggs’ college career ended with an ankle injury against Alabama and he went undrafted.

“Whether I should have come out after my junior year is a legitimate question,” Riggs said. “I’ve asked it myself and wondered if things could have been different. But I believe I made the right decision. I got hurt; there’s nothing I could do. You make a decision and you live with it and make the most of it.

“When your name hasn’t been out there, the pros forget about you. I’m competitive, so, yeah, I’d like to show what I can do. But if it doesn’t happen, no big deal.”

The son of a former All-Pro running back, Riggs received much of his attention after he ran for 209 yards and three TDs in the snow to help Red Bank become the first public school from Hamilton County in 27 years to win a state championship in the TSSAA’s largest classification.

But he admitted the one thing that still garners the most attention from his prep career is a picture that appeared on the front of the 2001 Times Free Press football preview section. The full-page shot is of him standing on a Lookout Mountain cliff overlooking the city in a Superman costume, with a red cap resting over his shoulder and a football tucked under his arm.

“I heard about that my whole senior season from other teams, but especially when I got to Tennessee,” Riggs said. “My teammates at UT had all seen it or heard about it and ragged on me pretty good. Some people knew it was just in fun, but some people didn’t get it and thought it was too much.”

Riggs responded the night the picture ran with 158 yards and five touchdowns in the season opener against Ooltewah, prompting then-Lions coach Tom Weathers to whisper, “Maybe he is Superman,” as he watched Riggs jog off the field.

“There was a lot of pressure on him from all angles, but he lived up to all the expectations as well as a high school kid ever could have,” Weathers said. “He was undoubtedly the best running back we ever had at Red Bank. With his dad being a pro player and him being so good, he could have been arrogant but never was. He showed respect for the game and other players and was a team guy. All the coaches and other players liked and respected him for that.

“He was a special player, but he is also a quality guy.”

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