Robert Riger (1924-1995) is a celebrated sports illustrator, photographer, award‐winning television director, and cinematographer.
Riger began his career as an illustrator, and was a regular contributor to magazines like Esquire, The Saturday Evening Post, and Sports Illustrated. During his career, Sports Illustrated alone published more than 1,200 of his editorial drawings and over 200 of his promotional and advertising drawings.
In 1950, Riger began taking photographs as a research tool for his drawings. What started as a secondary medium became what Riger was most known for. He said: “You cannot possibly photograph sport unless you understand it completely, and understand and know the men who play it. The same intensity they have to play the game you must have to record it. Not stop it, but suspend it forever in time”.
From 1950 to 1994, Riger took more than 90,000 photographs. This site showcases rotating highlights from his archive.
Contact the Robert Riger Living Trust
The Robert Riger Living Trust & Archive is housed in Tuscumbia, AL. For more information regarding the archive, buying prints, or possible exhibition of Robert Riger's work, contact Dawn Aberg using the form here.
Looking for a photograph for editorial or commercial purposes? Visit Getty Images.
Books & Other Publications
The Sports Photography of Robert Riger, Random House, 1995
The American Diamond, Simon & Schuster, 1965
The Pros, Simon & Schuster, 1960/2016
The Athlete, Simon & Schuster, 1980/2016
