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PB18T0MDr. Michael TeetsPaul Riggs remembersPaul Riggs played basketball, baseball and football in high school.As a member of the Rowlesburg Riverlions basketball team, he received honorable mention (junior year) and a place on the all-county team (senior year).The son of Ray and Beryl Riggs, Paul had four brothers (Bob, Bill, Keith and Jerry) and twin sisters (Jean and Geneva). Following graduation from RHS, in 1960, Riggs served three years in the U.S. Army.Before he retired, he was a a train conductor for BO/CSX Railroad and Amtrak, a track foreman for Cass Scenic Railroad and a train conductor for Southbranch Valley Railroad.While attending the Rowlesburg school, he was coached by George Ayersman and Milt Metheny. What he recalls about coach Metheny is “the calisthenics we did and how much running we had to do. He really got us in shape. Also I remember the press he taught us.”One of Paul’s favorite memories of playing ball in Preston County was the winning and losing of games, and “all the coaches and players that I played with and againstmade for great memories of my days in high school and Preston County sports.”Thinking back 50 years, he recalls some last names of good players he played against: Silcott, Goff, Hornyak, Parsons, Arbogast, Teets and Toothman.Gymnasiums had their own personality during our 10-high-school history. Riggs mentioned the Fel-lowsville gym with a stage at one end. “Fans would stand on the stage and at times shake the basket.”He added, “Someone in the stands always seemed to have a whistle.”I am sure each visitor to any county gym could state a unique characteristic of that facility. The gem with sports history rests in each player having his or her own story to share.When Paul watches today’s players, he feels he does not see the desire to play or the competitive spirit that used to be in Preston County sports.“Playing sports at RHS in the late 1950s, early 1960s taught me the importance of being in good physical condition, how to work as a team, sportsmanship, to be competitiveand the desire to win,” Riggs said.If Riggs could return to his high school playing days again, what would he do differently?“I would crack the books more, study harder. I’m sure I could make the honor roll if I really tried. Being a better student in the classroom would have made me a better player in sports,” he concluded.Paul Riggs is one of the primary developers of the Preston County Sports Museum in the former Rowlesburg High School (Szilagyi Center). His work in developing cubicles for each of the 10 high schools will provide an outstanding site for county keepsakes.Riggs believes the sports museum is a good thing. As he states, “With 10 high schools in the county, there were a lot of good sporting events and some very good players. I think the memories of those days are slowly fading away, so hopefully this museum will renew a lot of those memories.”Thank you, Paul Riggs, for sharing your memories of Rowlesburg sports, and with appreciation for your work on behalf of the county sports museum, you make Preston proud.
Newspaper Details
Morgantown Dominion Post
Morgantown, West Virginia, US
Sat, Sep 11, 2010
Page 17
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WV, USA 10 Jul 2022
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