By By BRUCE HIXON Sports Editor
(Second in a series)
Being raised in house where football is king 365 days a year, Mikel Riggs had little choice but to follow his father and T.R. Miller Tigers coach Jamie Riggs on to the gridiron.
Now a junior wide receiver/defensive back for the Tigers, Mikel Riggs admits he had some apprehension when he joined the T.R. Miller program as a player his freshman season.
Mikel Riggs actually got his involvement in the Tigers program at a much earlier age. He joined Andrew "Zeke" Johnson's managerial staff when he was eight years old and held on to that role until he entered high school.
The T.R. Miller coach said he has seen other parent/coaches have mixed results when it comes to dealing with their children on their athletic teams.
Mikel Riggs became an emergency scout team quarterback on the Tigers 2002 state championship team and even saw some mop-up time late in the state title game. Since then his playing time has increased significantly each season.
Riggs said he has heard little criticism about Mikel's increased varsity workload.
While he has obviously enjoyed his increased workload on the field, Mikel Riggs said playing time is not his number one goal.
Mikel Riggs said he addresses his father as both 'Dad' and 'Coach' on the field.
Jamie Riggs said Mikel does offer him input on both team feelings and sometimes even game strategy.
Mikel Riggs said he is not a team spokesman because he is the coach's son.
If he is still active in coaching at that time, Jamie Riggs could have the challenge of coaching his other son, Wil, down the road. Wil is currently in sixth grade.
Wil because Wil is a different kid than Mikel," Jamie Riggs said.
Mikel Riggs also has some brotherly advice for Wil about how to play for his father.