The Journey of Jamie Rigdon

When you go back into the history of Savannah State, there was a span of time where the baseball program ruled the SIAC Conference and Division II Baseball. Jamie Rigdon built a record setting program that has not been matched in these parts. His career has taken him from Georgia twice, Oklahoma, Texas, and Florida.

Get on the Bandwagon talked to Rigdon about his career in coaching, along with his playing days in high school and college. Rigdon has had quite the journey.

I met Rigdon when I arrived at Savannah State in 1994. He was an assistant coach for the baseball team, when he was just 20. His playing career had been cut short by injuries, but was offered a chance to coach while he earned his degree.

Q: What was your sports background as a youth?

I played basketball, football, baseball, and tennis at the Augusta Boys Club. Basketball was my favorite sport. I attended Truman Middle School, Evans Middle School, Evans High School, and then Lakeside High School. On the football team, I was the punter, fullback, and tight end. In basketball, I played both guard positions. I was MVP both years at Lakeside. I was top 10 in scoring in the CSRA. I averaged 26.7 PPG during my senior year. I had 9-30-point games. I led the CSRA in scoring.

In baseball, I led the CSRA in hitting. Former major leaguer Todd Greene would have won the triple crown if it wasn’t for me winning the batting title. Todd Greene is still the best hitter I have ever seen. We lost in the Final Four my senior year.

I committed to Shaw University. I was interested in Georgia Southern because they recruited players from the area. My GPA and SAT were not high enough, so I had to go to South Georgia College in Douglas. I played baseball at South Georgia. I was injured a lot at South Georgia. I batted cleanup both seasons when I was healthy.

Q: How did you end up at Savannah State? I’m sitting in Douglas. I had just finished my two years. I did well, but no school wanted a player who could not stay healthy. I had gained 35 pounds and I really did not care anymore.

Well, one day the pay phone rings and it is John Williams, the head basketball coach at Savannah State. He says, “I talked to your Boys Club coach (Winfrey) and know that I haven’t played in two years and I was overweight, but if you could promise me that you can lose the weight, I will pay for your school.”

I lost those 30 pounds over the summer and I was off to Savannah State. I was playing point guard, running the show, but I was a little slow on defense. I was throwing alley-oops like Sherman Douglas. I had a chance at the starting job, but while I’m running one day, my foot cracks. The doctor told me that the weight loss caused my bones to become weak. This was the lowest point of my career.

I went and prayed and asked God if you have a plan for me, I hope you tell me right now, because I am about to flunk out of school. I really did not care at that point. Five to 10 minutes later, a man walks into Peacock Hall. He asked me was I going to play baseball? I told him I did not think so. He said, “Good luck to you.” Walks off. He was young, about 24 or 25. I am like, “Who is this guy trying to put me in my place?” He says, "Either you are going to play or not play. I really do not care, I do not beg anyone to be on my team. You are not good enough to make me beg. "

At this point in my life, no coach had ever told me that he did not need me. I told him I was going to play. He gave me a high five and told me “Welcome to the family.” I thought he was going to squeeze the life out of me. That coach was Wesley McGriff (now, the associate head football coach at Ole Miss). My two idols growing up where my dad, who worked in a mill and my brother, who taught me everything. Little did I know, Coach McGriff would change my life and make me a man.

Q: Were you able to play without injury at Savannah State? My injury did not heal right away. I stopped at the home of Chad Wiggins in Statesboro. He was my former teammate at South Georgia. He thought I was faking, questioning my manhood. He saws my cast off. I played two years under McGriff. I played third base and pitched. During my senior year, I was 5-3 and batted third.

The best part of my baseball career was after throwing 13 innings against Paine College and going 5-6 with 9 RBI at the plate. We then played Armstrong. I threw four warmup pitches and did feel right. McGriff wanted to snatch me after the first three batters. I told him that I did not want to come out. He told me that he would take me to the foxhole anytime. He said I would be a great coach one day. I pitched one more game and then had surgery. My playing career was over.

Q: When did you transition from player to coach? After the season, I still needed to finish my degree. McGriff calls me in and says, “I am paying for your school”. He wants me to put together a practice schedule for the fall (he was a football coach). He gave me the head recruiting job. I felt like I could not do it after the first fall practice. McGriff would not take no for an answer. I was a 20-year-old first base coach. We won the conference championship and McGriff won coach of the year. He thanked me for helping him out in the fall.

Year two, McGriff leaves for a job at Kentucky State. Coach Maurice Heard is named the head coach. Coach Heard was ill, so I had to run everything. We won our second SIAC championship. After that season, I am named head coach. We had a new AD, Hornsby Howell from Georgia.

He told me that he was not hiring him because I was White. Coach Howell said he received phone calls about me and why was I hired. Howell said I had earned the job and did not care what the people had to say about it.

I started off slow as the head coach. We lost our first two games (22-4) and (27-4). I had to call McGriff for advice. He told me to switch from head friend to head coach. That is what I did and the rest is history. We went on a 13-game winning streak and won the conference again. I was named Coach of the Year. We were 31-17.

During my third season, we finish 38-13. We won the SIAC. Armstrong was afraid to play us. We won the conference championship again, my 5th, the next season. We lost to the Florida Southern, 9-8. They were number one in the nation.

Q: Savannah State decides to move up to Division I. How did that change things? Well, we were slated to win the national championship the next year, but we find out that we are moving up. When you move from Division II to Division I, you cannot compete for championships because you are in transition.

Players are hearing rumors and want to leave. I give them my blessing to go wherever they want. The players stood by me and the program. We won 46 games and broke the all-divisions record. When we moved up to Division I, we did well. We did not have a losing season.

During my last season, we beat Navy, Temple, Villanova, and West Virginia. If I could have remained at Savannah State, we would have had a powerhouse. We would have won the MEAC. My record was 301-119 in nine years with three conference championships.

Q: How did you recruit the talent to Savannah State? I feel like I am the second-best recruiter to walk the Earth. I can walk in front of every group and it would feel like home. I have had a background of being around all people. Coach McGriff said that would help me in my career. I loved my time at Savannah State.

Q: After Savannah State, what did you do next? I opened a pizza place on Tybee and ran that for two years. Coach Ivy Williams (former Savannah State coach) calls me from Northwestern Oklahoma State about a job in football. My job was to recruit and coach the offensive line. I went to the South and brought 40 kids to Oklahoma. We won the championship and had a few All-Americans that I recruited.

From there, I went to Goodwell as a defensive coordinator. I was the head coach at Samnorwood in Texas, and defensive coordinator at Valley in Texas.

I moved back to Georgia and coached at Screven County as a defensive line coach. My dad is originally from there. I learned the spread from Cottrell and the running game from Duncan. This helped me become a better offensive coordinator.

I started coaching baseball again at Valley. I started the program and we made the playoffs. I started another program at Chickasaw and went 13-8, a game from the playoffs. Coach Cottrell brought me to Chickasaw.

I headed back to Texas, but found out my father was sick. I took the job at Pensacola High School. Before I arrived at Pensacola, they were 12-72 with some talent. We turned the program around. We went 25-23 in two seasons. This season, I am at Lighthouse, a private Christian academy.

Q: How did you get into the pizza business?

I worked at a pizza place in college. I needed something to make money after Savannah State. Our pizza place is called Chubby’s Pizza and Wings. My wife is the best wife in the world. She runs the place.

I have eight kids, plus I have another staying with us from Africa. He is 6-9.

Get on the Bandwagon will check back with Coach Rigdon in Spring 2018 when baseball begins.