Gerald Riggs Jr. and Sr.
Gerald Riggs Jr. is a local legend. He’s the type of guy they make shows like ‘Friday Night Lights’ about. Son of an NFL star, who worked to carve out his own legacy in a sport that doesn’t care about your last name. Riggs had a record-breaking high school career at Red Bank, capped off with a state championship win on a snow-covered field. He earned a scholarship to the University of Tennessee where he emerged as a Heisman hopeful. After college, Riggs suited up for three different NFL teams and one CFL team.
With the NFL season hitting its peak, and an increasingly restless Volunteer fan base, I reached out to the man who would know more about these subjects than any of us. If you were expecting a cocky former football player then you have the wrong guy. Tuesday evening he took 40 minutes to speak very candidly to me about his career, recruiting, and what he’s working on now. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.
(Pat) Gerald, it’s pretty rare that sons of professional athletes are able to make a name for themselves in the same sport. What do you attribute your success as a football player to?
(Gerald) Quite honestly my parents never put pressure on me to do so. It was never a thing about following in his footsteps and all that. In fact, they tried to get me to do everything else. But I naturally fell in love with the sport. My parents were great and supportive, but they never pushed me into the sport.
(Pat) You helped lead the Red Bank Lions to an undefeated state championship in 2000. What is your fondest memory from that magical season?
(Gerald) Getting Coach Weathers over the hump. He had a storybook career, and had done everything but win a state championship. He had been so close before, with some great teams but couldn’t quite do it due to a hiccup at the wrong time. And especially with everything he was going through, with the loss of his wife. It just made me happy to see him happy.
(Pat) You were a 5-star prospect with interest from schools all over the country. What was your recruiting process like?
(Gerald) It was kind of weird because everybody has their ideas of what it’s like. But it came out of nowhere. I wasn’t playing to be a 5-star recruit or get that status. I was just playing because I loved the sport. When you’re successful it just comes with the territory. A time comes when you get all the calls and see yourself in the magazines, but that wasn’t why I was playing the game. One time my dad showed me a magazine where I was ranked #1 in the country, but I was like “how do you even come up with that?” So my recruiting process was cool, but I was just ready to get to college and take advantage of that opportunity.
(Pat) Was there ever any doubt that you were going to play for a team other than the Tennessee Volunteers?
(Gerald) Actually yes, I was going to LSU. I had made my visits. I took a visit during the season, and I went to their game against Florida. I fell in love with the atmosphere and still love them. I root for them as hard as I do the Vols. I was pretty much going there. But my dad had caught wind that Saban was going to the NFL. My dad called me home during my visit, and he said “Don’t commit to anything”. I was mad the whole way home because I wanted to tell these people that I was going to be a Tiger.
So when I got home my dad talked to me about how Saban would be leaving for the NFL in the next year or two. Then he said “you know what comes with a coaching change, do you want to deal with that?” And at that time, Fulmer wasn’t going anywhere. Miami was on my list too, but my mom wasn’t going to allow that. I begged, but she still said no. So Tennessee it is.
(Pat) What are your thoughts on the current recruiting process for high school football players? Has it changed much since the early 2000’s?
(Gerald) It’s changed so much because of social media and the reach and access everyone has. It’s become such a fan fair, and is totally different. To be honest, I feel bad for kids now. It used to be a personal decision which nobody knew about until that day. People could keep up with you and follow it but it was still a surprise. But now everybody is pulling these kids in every direction, and use social media to do that. If I was growing up now I probably wouldn’t want a cell phone. I would want to be left alone and to make the decision with my family.
These kids are 15-16 years old and I feel bad for them because of the heavy expectations. Any good competitor can deal with expectations, but when you deal with that added level of scrutiny it’s tough. It’s a good life lesson, and they get exposure. But I still feel bad for the ones that don’t make it, and the ones whose career may not turn out the way they want. The life they have to life with after, because people can be rude and nasty. If it were my own son, I would let them know they don’t have to do it with if they don’t want to.
(Pat) So back to your career. You contributed a lot to the Vols offense during your first two seasons, but your junior season you emerged on the national scene with over 1,000 rushing yards in the regular season. What was your personal highlight from that 2004 season?
(Gerald) There are a couple of them actually. I didn’t get to start, but I did get to take over the game against Georgia in Athens. Being a Georgia kid, I wanted to play high school football down there but it was still good to go and play against those guys. We weren’t expected to beat the #3 team in the nation at that time.
Also, the SEC Championship Game. It was the best game of the year and statistically maybe my career. In a championship setting that was special. We just faced a really tough Auburn team and that was a tough loss.
(Pat) Going into the 2005 season, you were a preseason All American and Heisman Candidate. But injuries derailed your season and eventually the teams’ season. How challenging was that for you?
(Gerald) It was hard. First time in my life I really wasn’t sure. I had been in rough patches before and overcome a lot just to get to a place like Tennessee. There was a lot riding on that season. Honestly, my career and money. It was tough. I wondered if I should have taken the chance and left early the year before. Did I make the right decision on coming here? There’s a whole lot goes through your head.
Tough watching the guys go through that. The one thing I cared about was going to war with those guys on Saturday, and not being able to do it was just so hard. One of the first times in my life where I was unsure and in no-man’s-land. And on top of that, you were watching hell happen and couldn’t do anything about it.
(Pat) Despite the injuries, you were still signed by the Miami Dolphins, Chicago Bears, and the Detroit Lions in consecutive years. And as late as 2011 you were making noise in the CFL for the Toronto Argonauts. What did playing professional football teach you about the game and yourself?
(Gerald) For football, always staying ready and to be prepared at all times because you never know when your next opportunity will be. Just always be ready. In regards to myself, it taught me I was strong person. When you’re a young person coming up in the world you go through situations and think man that was hard. You question yourself. Am I as strong or as mentally tough as I thought I was? But it taught me a lot about myself as a person.
And once I got away from everybody I got to work through everything. When I was younger at Tennessee there was a lot noise around me. But when I got by myself I was able to learn a lot by myself and develop. It taught me a lot about myself as a person and what I am capable of as a person if I set my mind towards something, then scrapping and clawing your way to that goal.
(Pat) Since you retired from football, you have been very busy. You have worked as a sports broadcaster on TV and radio. You’re running backs coach at Notre Dame High School. And you’ve started your own athletic training business (Beast University). Have you always had a passion for helping young athletes develop and reach their full potential?
(Gerald) Yes absolutely. From the time I was young I knew I wanted to do something around athletes to help them be better. I love the process of getting better and seeing your hard work pay off. I didn’t know how I was always going to do that, or what capacity (training or coaching) I had no clue. But really what sold it for me when I got out on my own as a professional I had to teach myself a lot. So I followed and learned from various athletics trainers (Johnny Long, Chris Stewart, Roger Moore, and others along the way). Learning from some of the best athletic trainers in the world. I learned a ton from them then I put all that stuff together. I had a passion for it and wanted to make myself better and fell in love with it. So since then I’ve focused on getting better and helping everyone else along the way.
(Pat) One last football question, I have to ask. Since your last full season at Tennessee, the football team hasn’t been able to reach that 10-3 mark. They have had 4 coaches since Fulmer. What are your thoughts on the state of the football program? Are you concerned or optimistic about the future?
(Gerald) As of now, I’m optimistic about the future. Honestly there was a time where I was ready to throw my hands up in the air and start wearing purple and gold (laughs). But right now we’re in a good place. Coach Pruitt is the right man for the job. Given our past and where we want to be.
I know all the previous coaches. I think Kiffin got a worst rap than he deserves. Dooley was just bad timing and wasn’t ready. And that most previous guy was just as dark as it gets.
But with Pruitt there and the staff he has assembled, along with Fulmer as A.D. they are doing the right things. They’re recruiting the right guys. Recruiting is like shaving, if you don’t do it right every day, it shows.
Playing in the SEC, it takes more from you. It doesn’t mean you can just roll over everyone, look at Clemson (even though they have an SEC guy). Not to disrespect any other conferences but it takes something to win in the SEC. I was out there and part of that winning, and it was good to see guys out there working towards that.
(Pat) I’ve heard a lot of good things about the showcase you’re organizing. Could you fill me in on that?
(Gerald) Yes, the camp coming up is a showcase called the National College Prep (NCP) Tri-State Top-150 on May 3-5 at Dalton High School. It’s featuring the top 150 players that we got from a formulated list by various writers and publications who do a great job (Stephen Hargis, Matt Ray, Dale Dowden, and Carlos Younger).
It’s a showcase where they get to do combine drills and compete in front of college coaches and scouts. Also, we are live streaming the events so there will be lots of access and a chance to showcase themselves. Which there isn’t a lot of opportunity for that around here. Unless you’re Vonn Bell or myself or a player that comes up once in a decade it doesn’t happen here like it does in Nashville or Atlanta. We want to use our connections to make it happen. There is a lot of hidden talent in this area. We just want to get that talent into good coaches’ hands. Then do something like that on a larger scale. If you rank in top 150 it’s free. Outside of the top 150 you will still have a chance to participate, you will just have pay a small amount.
Also, we have a middle school segment where they can start out the weekend with a sports performance camp. Learn the basics about running and jumping and how to move. From there they will do a football skills camp to kind of piggyback off of what the high school kids are doing.
But to really kick off the weekend, we’re doing a student athlete seminar. It will cover everything from the academics, recruiting (dos and don’ts), social media training, interview training, diet, and financial literacy. The whole gambit of what you need to do as a student athlete and parent to possibly further your career to college and maybe beyond college.
At the end of the day we want everyone to have all the info they need to make the best possible decisions for themselves and their families. It’s May 3-5 at Dalton High School. You can learn more and submit your info on Facebook or Twitter @tristatetop150. Email tristtatetop150@gmail.com or website ncpsports.com
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Addendum: Speaking with Gerald Riggs Jr. over the phone was a true pleasure. He was extremely generous with his time, and patient with me as I typed out his answers as fast I could. If there were any errors or misquotes, all blame goes to me. One thing I noticed from speaking with him was his passion and enthusiasm for helping student-athletes reach their full potential on and off the field. Gerald is cool with talking about the good ole days, but his focus is solely on the future and helping as many young people as possible.
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Pat Benson is a fixture at local high school sporting events. He has been a sideline reporter, P.A. announcer, and radio personality. Tweet him @Pat_Benson_Jr.