SANFORD, Fla. – Just two days removed from Bethune-Cookman Athletics Hall of Fame member Charles Wesley Moore passing away, the Bethune-Cookman Football Family suffered another loss recently with the passing of former student-athlete Charles Riggins. He passed away September 14, 2024, in Tampa, Florida.
 
Charles LaCarda Riggins, a four-year letterwinner for the Wildcats, played as a defensive lineman for the Wildcats from 1977-80. Born in Sanford, Florida, on November 9, 1959, Riggins attended Seminole High School before venturing to nearby Bethune-Cookman College to continue his education.
 
"Coming to Bethune-Cookman as an early enrollee freshman in the summer of 1982, I had the opportunity to meet several legendary Wildcats that paved the way for my success," stated Bernard Hawk, Bethune-Cookman's all-time passing leader who played from 1982-85. "He was a gentle giant, and he certainly did that for me and so many others – paved the way."
 
After his playing days for the Maroon and Gold, Riggins was selected in the ninth round of the 1982 NFL Draft (pick No. 237) by the Green Bay Packers. Across three seasons in the NFL, he would serve time with not only the Packers, but also the Washington Redskins (1983) and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1987). With the Bucs, Riggins was a reserve defensive lineman during the 1987 campaign, picking up three solo tackles across the season.
 
In 1984, he would play with the Tampa Bay Bandits of the United States Football League (USFL), with the franchise being a charter member of the USFL and eventually one of the most successful in the short history of the league. He would eventually move to the Orlando Renegades in 1985, where he registered two sacks for the team.
 
Funeral services are scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 28, at House of Refuge in his hometown of Sanford, Florida, at 10 a.m.
 
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