New Football Head Coach: Getting to Know Coach Riggs

BY Emily PolstonWe all know that Coach Trimble, the former head coach of Jenks High School football, retired last year due to illness… but have you wondered who is filling that role now? I came across this question at the first football game and felt awful for not knowing. I asked my friends around me if they knew and they weren’t sure either. I later found out that his name is Keith Riggs.Riggs was a technology consultant but was pulled into coaching by David Tenison,the defensive coordinator now at Jenks. After 2 years of coaching, Riggs became a computer science teacher in 2005. This year is the first year Riggs hasn’t taught a computer science class. As you could imagine, it would be really hard to be a head coach of the Jenks football team and teach at the same time. “I loved teaching. I loved being in the classroom. It’s just not feasible for this job,” says Riggs.For the first six to seven years of his eight year coaching career, Riggs was a positions coach and his primary focus was on safeties. The last two years, he was a defense coordinator. “I was fortunate enough that the school board thought I could fill this role,” says Riggs, “so I’m a little excited and scared all rolled into one.” I asked Riggs what he’s doing differently or if the players treat him differently than Trimble. “The biggest difference is that we have different personalities,” says Riggs. “We’re different people.” Riggs uses the same practice schedules and for the most part follows the same routine. “Coach Trimble is very outgoing and I’m a little more quiet and reserved,” says Riggs. “That’s probably the biggest change that’s been noticed I would guess.” Despite a personality change, Riggs still wants the best for the team, just as Trimble did.“I’m just here to do the best job I can and to help these kids, and really that’s what drew me into coaching: being around young men and being apart of their lives,” says Riggs. “There’s no other job that gives me the job satisfaction that teaching and coaching has had for me and my family.”Riggs is excited for what's to come this season. There are 27 seniors in the 2018-2019 Jenks High School football team. “They know what it means to be a Trojan and they’ve looked forward to this opportunity for a long time and they’ve provided some great leadership for our team.”