Pro Football Hall of Famer John Riggins visits Military and First Responders Center

NIMISHILLEN TWP. ‒ You might know his name. He's a Pro Football Hall of Famer, a Super Bowl champion and 1978's NFL Comeback Player of the Year.

But for him, his namesake is the last thing on his mind.

Former NFL running back John Riggins visited the Pegasus Farm-run Military and First Responders Center Friday as part of the Pro Football Hall of Fame's "Hall of Famer Residency" program.

While there, he toured the Meese Road NE center along with two scholars from the Pat Tillman Foundation, an organization that helps give veterans resources to aid them financially and in their careers.

"I'm a football player, no big deal," he said. "When it's all said and done, the real heroes are the people who stand in harm's way," he said.

Pat Tillman Foundation scholars visit Stark County

The Pat Tillman Foundation is dedicated to the life of Tillman, a former NFL defensive back for the Arizona Cardinals who lost his life fighting in the U.S. Army inn 2004, according to its website. The foundation is dedicated to elevating veterans to positions of success through leadership and scholarship opportunities.

David Hibler, one of the Tillman scholars in attendance, said establishing a sense of community for veterans is important, and spreading awareness for spaces like the center is a huge help.

"When you get out of the military, you suddenly go from a role where you are hyper-connected to everybody around you, you have a defined goal, mission and purpose, to you are completely isolated, and you don't have anything that you're supposed to be doing," he said.

"Having people who speak out and care about veterans and then a place that gives veterans a space to come in and be purposeful and form their own community is so unbelievably important."

Hibler was a combat medic and now is working towards his Ph.D. at Ohio State University while also working as a military community advocate for the school. He said a lot of his work post-service has centered around connecting veterans with the academic world.

"Going through school ... a lot of people didn't understand how veterans or military students interact with the academic life of the university," he said. "We try to provide a connection point for military veteran students."

Missy Howard, the program and events coordinator at the center, walked the guests through the facility, including meeting the eight horses used for equine therapeutics.

"Horses in the wild have very strong type of dominancy, which we call the pecking order," Howard said. "And that is one of the correlations we see a lot with military or first responders."

Riggins grew up on a farm, he said, so he appreciated the opportunity to get back out in the country.

"The horses, it's been so long since I've been around them in a way that I give them a wide berth," he said. "They're interesting animals, and it's fun to be around them."

What is the Military and First Responders Center near Louisville?

In the exercise area, 76-year-old Gary Gruber of North Canton was getting a workout in with his son Eric, who served in the Air Force. He said the center is a great place for him to connect with his son and look after his health.

"In '07, I had open heart surgery, so the exercise really helps me because every year I get tested, and every year it's good. If I wasn't working out, I don't know if that'd be happening," he said.

Gretchen Klingler is the other Tillman scholar who attended the event. She's the deputy director for veterans outreach at the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition. She said her work in and out of the military has been driven by curiosity.

"I want to understand what I don't know, and what I haven't been exposed to," she said. "I think that's part of what's driven me to do what I do now, which is inviting veterans to use their voices and experience to do advocacy on a national level."

Klingler said she was particularly moved by hearing about the center's programs for amputees.

"The fact that they not only do experiences for them but that they have support groups for amputees is huge," she said, "because overall, in general society, you don't come across too many people every day that have had those types of injuries or surgeries."

Riggins said Tillman's choice to serve is an honorable one, and he thinks military members deserve a lot of credit for the work they do and for putting their lives on the line for their country.

"He's a guy that's unusual," he said. "To give up what he had already accomplished and everything that went along with that to go fight in foreign lands, got to have the utmost respect for him."

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Hall of Famer John Riggins visits Military and First Responders Center