Quentin Riggins was presented the Walter Gilbert Award Nov. 23 during the Auburn football game against Samford in Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Riggins, senior vice president of Governmental and Corporate Affairs at Alabama Power, is a former linebacker for the Tigers football team and a former member of the radio broadcast team.
The Gilbert Award is presented annually to a former Auburn student-athlete who has distinguished himself through achievements after graduation. The award is in memory of Auburn’s three-time All-American center, who later became vice president of Texaco’s European Oil Operations.
“It just confirms some of the hard work that you’ve done along the way. When coach Dye came and recruited me out of Montgomery, he saw something more than a football player,” Riggins said, recalling a recruiting trip when he left an Auburn game at halftime because he had to return home for his shift at McDonald’s.
“When Coach Dye came & recruited me out of Montgomery, he saw something more than a football player.”
Congratulations Quentin Riggins (LB, ‘86-89)
The Walter Gilbert Award goes to @AuburnTigers who distinguish themselves through achievements after graduation. pic.twitter.com/295nk5yYuc
— Auburn Football (@AuburnFootball) November 23, 2019
Riggins was an all-state player for the Robert E. Lee Generals before playing for Auburn from 1986 to 1989, where he was an All-American and All-SEC performer at linebacker. He was named to the SEC Football Legends Class of 2009. Riggins was the radio football sideline reporter for Auburn from 1991 to 2015.
Riggins played professionally for the Canadian Football League Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 1990, as they won the 78th Grey Cup that season.
Riggins earned his bachelor’s degree at Auburn University in marketing and distributive education. As a current member of Auburn’s Board of Trustees, Riggins provides leadership and governance to the university’s academic, administrative and athletic enterprises.
Prior to joining Alabama Power in 2011, Riggins served in Alabama state government. He was in the administration of one governor, in the cabinet of another governor and was a senior staff member for a long-serving speaker of the House of Representatives.
As the former senior vice president of the Business Council of Alabama, Riggins led governmental affairs efforts for the organization’s 5,000 corporate members before the Legislature and Congress. After six successful years, Riggins began his own governmental affairs firm in Montgomery.
Riggins currently serves on the boards of Grandview Medical Center, the Business Council of Alabama’s ProgressPAC, the Birmingham Jefferson Civic Center Authority, the Women’s Fund of Greater Birmingham and the Frank M. Johnson Jr. Institute. He previously served on the boards of Leadership Alabama and the Baptist Foundation.
(Courtesy of Alabama NewsCenter)
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