Jesse Riggs
Encyclopedia
Jesse Bright Riggs was an All-American football
player. Riggs played for the Princeton University
football team from 1888 to 1891. He was an All-American in 1890 and captain of the 1891 Princeton football team.
, which financed Samuel Morse's invention of the telegraph in 1845 and lent $16 million to the United States to fund the Mexican-American War.
Riggs enroled at Princeton University where he played at the halfback and right guard positions from 1888 to 1891. He was selected to the 1890 College Football All-America Team
. In December 1890, the members of the Princeton team elected Riggs as the captain of the 1891 football team. However, Riggs resigned the position before the 1891 season started. Riggs had become embroiled in a controversy over the increasing level of violence in football. The 1890 Princeton–Yale game was marked by instances of players throwing punches and fighting. Yale's captain Churh showed deep scratches on his face and accused Riggs of sriking his fingernails into Church's face and saying, "Now I have you. I'll just do you." Another Yale player said, "The most striking part to my mind was the disgraceful language used by Riggs, and also the dirty work he indulged in." Nonetheless, Riggs' ruthless behavior led Princeton to an impressive record that season. Riggs was married in October 1893 to Charlotte M. Symington (c.1870-1938).
Riggs' younger brother, Dudley Riggs
followed him to Princeton, where he, too, became an All-American football player. In September 1893, a newspaper account compared Dudley to Jesse: "Another new man that gives much promise is a brother of the great Jesse Riggs, '92. This one's name is Dudley and he weighs 185 pounds — not bad to begin with. It is said he is another Jesse, built like him, a football fighter of his spirit and just as tricky as the big guard ..."
In 1965, Riggs was nominated for the College Football Hall of Fame
, but did not receive a sufficient percentage of the vote for induction.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player. Riggs played for the Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
football team from 1888 to 1891. He was an All-American in 1890 and captain of the 1891 Princeton football team.
Biography
A native of Baltimore, Maryland, Riggs was the son of Lawrason Riggs, a well-known banker of Baltimore, Maryland. The family had founded and operated Riggs BankRiggs Bank
Riggs Bank was a Washington, D.C.-based commercial bank with branches located in the surrounding metropolitan area and offices around the world. For most of its history, it was the largest bank in the nation's capital. Riggs had been controlled by the Albritton family since the 1980s, but they lost...
, which financed Samuel Morse's invention of the telegraph in 1845 and lent $16 million to the United States to fund the Mexican-American War.
Riggs enroled at Princeton University where he played at the halfback and right guard positions from 1888 to 1891. He was selected to the 1890 College Football All-America Team
1890 College Football All-America Team
The 1890 College Football All-America team was the second College Football All-America Team. The team was selected by Casper Whitney and published in This Week's Sports.-Overview:...
. In December 1890, the members of the Princeton team elected Riggs as the captain of the 1891 football team. However, Riggs resigned the position before the 1891 season started. Riggs had become embroiled in a controversy over the increasing level of violence in football. The 1890 Princeton–Yale game was marked by instances of players throwing punches and fighting. Yale's captain Churh showed deep scratches on his face and accused Riggs of sriking his fingernails into Church's face and saying, "Now I have you. I'll just do you." Another Yale player said, "The most striking part to my mind was the disgraceful language used by Riggs, and also the dirty work he indulged in." Nonetheless, Riggs' ruthless behavior led Princeton to an impressive record that season. Riggs was married in October 1893 to Charlotte M. Symington (c.1870-1938).
Riggs' younger brother, Dudley Riggs
Dudley Riggs (American football)
Thomas Dudley Riggs was an All-American football player. He played for Princeton University and was selected as an All-American in 1895.-Early years:...
followed him to Princeton, where he, too, became an All-American football player. In September 1893, a newspaper account compared Dudley to Jesse: "Another new man that gives much promise is a brother of the great Jesse Riggs, '92. This one's name is Dudley and he weighs 185 pounds — not bad to begin with. It is said he is another Jesse, built like him, a football fighter of his spirit and just as tricky as the big guard ..."
In 1965, Riggs was nominated for the College Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...
, but did not receive a sufficient percentage of the vote for induction.