YORKSHIRE, N.Y. (WKBW) — Mike Rigerman didn't go to the biggest high school or the biggest college. But that didn't stop him from earning a shot with an NFL team.
The 2019 Pioneer graduate had plenty of success in high school, including a Connolly Cup in 2018, awarded to the top high school football player in Western New York. That season he averaged 9.1 yards per carry, ran for 2,116 yards, and had 29 touchdowns.
Rigerman continued his football career at the University of Findlay, where he shattered almost every tight-end record. It wasn't the most obvious path to the NFL, but it was one that Rigerman is grateful for.
“God has a plan for everybody and I feel like he was telling me that Findlay is where I need to be if I want to chase my dreams, this is where I should go.”
Rigerman didn't hear his name called in the 2024 NFL Draft but signed as a priority free agent with the Baltimore Ravens. He chose the Ravens because of the tight ends they have on their roster, like Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely, who he's ready to learn from.
“When they called, my agent said, 'Hey the Ravens are signing you', and I think in that moment I was like, there’s no way, this is not real, you’re not serious.”
They were serious, and just days later he was off to Baltimore for Ravens rookie minicamp.
"My biggest dream is to make the NFL, but my biggest thing that I always want to be is an inspiration to those kids back home.”
Rigerman already has his hometown buzzing with excitement and pride. He's one of the only players to make it from his hometown to the NFL and that's something his former coaches know will inspire the next generation.
“We’re super proud of him," Varsity football coach Jim Duprey said. "Anytime you have an exceptional athlete and person and student like Mike was, it’s a great reflection on the entire community, from his family, from our family, it’s just a great feeling.”
“He’s so humble," his former wrestling coach Chris Edwards said. "Mike’s one of us, he embodies exactly what we are. We’re a hardworking small town and Mike brings that day in and day out.”
Rigerman's journey is just beginning and he's got an uphill battle. But it's no different than the obstacles he's already overcome and he plans to keep working to inspire his hometown.
“My biggest motivation to do all this is obviously like helping to inspire kids back home, that it’s not always impossible to make the NFL, or not even just the NFL, any dream that you have. If you just work really hard and dedicate yourself to it, you can do what you want to do.”
