City College wide receiver Byron Riggs has spent the last two fall semesters bolting from the line down the field, then leaping to tremendous heights to make big time catches. The rest of the week?
Good luck finding him.
Riggs is known around the team for his ability to make big time catches.
Quarterback Dominic Carmazzi, 21, remembered a particular play, against Sierra College.
“I had a 40-yard touchdown pass to him. He went up and got it and it was a great play on his part,” Carmazzi said.
At 6-foot-3-inches and weighing 185 pounds, Riggs’s teammates describe him as fast with great length and fantastic hands.
“He’s all hands, no body. He catches the ball with his hands [and] not [with] his body,” said wide receiver Rico Herring, 20, criminal justice major, of Riggs’ greatest strength as an athlete.
Riggs, 22, business finance major, juggles a full-time class schedule, plays on the football team, and has a job.
“He’s a hard worker. He holds down a job [and] he goes to school full time,” Head Coach Dannie Walker said. “[Riggs] plays football full time, and is a good student athlete.”
While Riggs is busy with the team and his personal life, he says he tries to make time for other hobbies.
“Outside football I really like drawing and art,“ Riggs said. “My creative side, I like exploring that.”
Riggs said he plans on transferring to a four-year college after the spring semester, and said he hopes to continue with his football career.
This year, Riggs has had 15 catches for 145 yards and one touchdown. But it’s not just his talent on the field that sets him apart—Riggs’ teammates say they enjoy his personality, too.
“Byron’s real laid back. He likes to joke around a lot,” Carmazzi said. “I see him joking with the receivers. He keeps it light.”
While Riggs may keep it light with teammates, he says he doesn’t want to let down on the football field.
“The teamwork [and] the camaraderie that comes with the game, that’s what I like doing.” Riggs said. “My greatest weakness is just the fear of letting my team down.”
