Robbert Lee Riddick (born April 26, 1957) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offen ...

in the NFL who played for the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...

. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

Millersville University Millersville University of Pennsylvania (commonly known as Millersville University, The Ville, or MU) is a public university in Millersville, Pennsylvania. It is one of the fourteen schools that comprise the Pennsylvania State System of Higher E ...

, as a running back and defensive back. He set numerous of the school's records in football as well as track and field. Riddick was drafted by the Bills in the ninth round, 241st overall, of the 1981 NFL Draft. Riddick played six seasons for the Bills. He started eight games and ran for 632 total yards in

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal ente ...

, and he became a short-yardage specialist in

1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Australian ...

. He sat out the 1982 and 1985 seasons after sustaining injuries to his right knee during training camp. Riddick's first 100-yard rushing game of his career helped Hall of Fame coach Marv Levy record his first win as the Bills new coach on November 9, 1986. Because of his high-jumping ability, Riddick became a short-yardage weapon for the Bills in 1988. He scored 12 rushing touchdowns, all but three of which were from the opponent's 1-yard line; the longest of his rushing touchdowns was five yards. He added one TD reception and a blocked punt returned for a touchdown in the regular season plus one rushing TD in the Bills' playoff win over the Houston Oilers in the 1988 AFC Divisional Playoff Game to total 15 TDsthat year, his final season of his NFL career. He suffered what turned out to be a career-ending knee injury in the 1989 preseason finale against the Atlanta Falcons. Riddick's oldest son, Ian Riddick, played

defensive back In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...

at the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the universit ...

. His youngest son, Andre Riddick, played for Ohio State University. His daughter, Gabrielle Riddick, is a high academic achiever and plays the upright bass. Before attending Millersville, Riddick went to Pennridge High School, where he was an outstanding football player. Riddick is from an accomplished family of other professional football players. His brother is former NFL safety and current ESPN broadcaster

Louis Riddick Louis may refer to: * Louis (coin) * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also Derived or associated terms * Lewis (d ...

. His cousins, Will Lewis and Tim Lewis, also played in the NFL and currently hold management positions for professional football teams. He struggled with financial problems after retiring from the NFL. In 1994, unemployed and facing debt of $340,000, he filed bankruptcy. As of 2020, Riddick worked in Atlanta as a fitness instructor. In 2021, he was named to the first class of Millersville University's Wall of Honor.

References

1957 births Living people People from Quakertown, Pennsylvania American football running backs Players of American football from Pennsylvania Millersville Marauders football players Buffalo Bills players Sportspeople from Bucks County, Pennsylvania Ed Block Courage Award recipients {{runningback-1950s-stub