Walter Merritt Riggs (January 24, 1873 – January 22, 1924) was the president of Clemson University from 1910 to 1924 and the "father of Clemson football" coaching the first American football, football team for what was then Clemson College. Riggs was president of Clemson during one of its most challenging times, during World War I, when enrollment dropped due to students joining the military or going home to help on family farms. Riggs graduated from the Auburn University, Agricultural and Mechanical College of Alabama (now Auburn University) with a Bachelor of Science in engineering in 1892 and was a member of Auburn's first football team. He was also president of his class, director of the glee club, and a member of Phi Delta Theta fraternity while at Auburn. Riggs was the second president of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association, taking over for William Lofland Dudley in 1912. Riggs Hall, which is the home of Clemson's College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences, is named in his honor.

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* 1873 births 1924 deaths 19th-century players of American football American football ends Auburn Tigers baseball players Auburn Tigers football players Clemson Tigers athletic directors Clemson Tigers football coaches Presidents of Clemson University People from Orangeburg, South Carolina {{1890s-collegefootball-coach-stub