Rigney L. "Riggie" Dwyer (April 18, 1896 – August 2, 1944) was a professional football player who was an original member of the Green Bay Packers. He was the Packers star

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in 1919 and 1920, prior to the team's move into the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

. In 1920 he suffered the loss of his right leg and right arm while working in the

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

yards. Doctors claimed he had an even chance for recovery despite his injuries. Prior to his time with the Packers, Dwyer was prominently known in

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

state football circles. From 1913 to 1917 he played end for the

Green Bay West High School Green Bay West High School is a high school in Green Bay, Wisconsin, United States, serving the city's west side. Originally founded in 1890 as the high school for the town of Fort Howard (annexed into Green Bay in 1895), the school opened as We ...

. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

he played football in

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. After the war he started with the Packers, playing two years with the team. At the end of the Packers 1920 season, the team sponsored a benefit game between two local teams for Dwyer. The game attracted 5,000 spectators and raised $4,053.02 that went straight to Dwyer. Riggie was also the brother of fellow Packer Dutch Dwyer. He died in 1944.

References

Birth of a Team and a Legend

* * Players of American football from Wisconsin Green Bay Packers players 1896 births 1944 deaths American military personnel of World War I {{widereceiver-1900s-stub