The Washington Commanders will retire John Riggins' No. 44 on Nov. 8, honoring the Hall of Famer during their game against the Los Angeles Rams. The ceremony makes Riggins the seventh player in franchise history to have his number retired.
The timing gives fans a live chance to salute one of the franchise’s defining players. Riggins, who played for Washington from 1976 to 1985, still leads the team with 7,742 rushing yards and ranks second with 85 touchdowns, including 79 on the ground, 33 more than Clinton Portis.
For Washington, the choice is also a clean piece of history. Riggins was the engine of the club’s most celebrated run, capped by his Super Bowl MVP performance in a 27-17 win over the Miami Dolphins on Jan. 30, 1983, when he rushed for 166 yards and broke loose for a 43-yard touchdown with 10:10 left to turn a one-score game in Washington’s favor. He also set an NFL postseason record with 610 rushing yards during a four-game playoff run, then became the oldest player in NFL history to rush for more than 1,000 yards the following season at 35 years and three months old.
The honor carries added weight because the relationship between Riggins and the franchise was not always smooth. He once called former team owner Dan Snyder a "dark heart" and was estranged from the team for a period, even after years of being one of its most recognizable figures. That gap narrowed after Josh Harris purchased the team in 2023. Riggins attended the season opener that year, worked on the team’s flagship radio station in 2016 and was back at an OTA practice this spring, talking to the team again.
Washington has retired only six other numbers before No. 44, placing Riggins in a small group that includes Sammy Baugh, Bobby Mitchell, Sean Taylor, Darrell Green, Sonny Jurgensen and Art Monk. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1992, and the club’s decision now closes the distance between memory and recognition. On Nov. 8, the crowd will get the tribute he once said mattered to him most: one more chance to hear the applause.
