He was recalling memories of Super Bowl XVII, in which he won MVP, most notably because of his famous fourth-and-1, 43-yard touchdown run that effectively sealed the Redskins’ 27-17 victory over the Miami Dolphins, 34 years ago Monday.
But when Redskins.com caught up with Riggins last year, he recalled at least one image that has yet to fade as the years pass.
“The real memory is when I walked out onto the field after the game,” Riggins said. “I had been in the locker room, I was the last one to leave, and I’m by myself, and the workers are up there cleaning up the stadium at the Rose Bowl, the sun has sunk into the Pacific, the lights are on, and I just, for whatever reason, happened to glance skyward, and I looked up and I saw the scoreboard and it was still illuminated, and it said Washington 27, Miami 17, and that’s when it hit me that we were actually World Champions.