ASHBURN, Va. — As a kid in Northern California, Jason Oppenheim wanted one item more than any other: a John Riggins jersey. When he was around 8 or 9 years old, he finally received one as a gift. It paired well with the poster of the Washington Hall of Fame fullback on his bedroom wall.
As an adult, the “Selling Sunset” star wanted the Riggins jersey. This time, price didn’t matter — he paid $470,000 to get one.
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“I would have gone higher,” he mentioned, “a decent amount higher.”
Now, he’ll pair that jersey with something more than a poster: He also bought Riggins’ Super Bowl ring for another $105,750. Oppenheim bought them Saturday at the 18th Super Bowl Live Auction conducted by Hunt Auctions.
The jersey just so happened to be one that Riggins wore in Super Bowl XVII to earn that ring as well as Super Bowl MVP honors. That’s when he broke a fourth-and-1 tackle attempt by corner Don McNeal en route to a 43-yard touchdown with just over 10 minutes remaining to give Washington a 20-17 lead. It was the key play in the franchise’s first of three Super Bowl victories.
That also happened to be the shot on the poster Oppenheim once owned.
To Oppenheim, Riggins’ run represents more than just a touchdown to give Washington a 27-17 lead. It doesn’t matter that he was only five years old at the time and only remembers his love of Riggins more than watching the play or the game itself.
“For people like me who grew up idolizing Riggins, that 70-chip play is the most important single play in the history of the franchise,” Oppenheim mentioned. “Unquestionably. It won us our first championship. The other thing that speaks to me so much, probably more than any other piece of memorabilia I’ve ever seen is all the mud on it. I know John says it’s blood, sweat and beer all over that jersey — those are his words.
“That jersey represents more than just a play and his MVP performance. It represents the grit of the franchise, the hard work, the Hogs’ blocking.”
Oppenheim, who grew up in Northern California, adopted Washington as his favorite team for a simple reason: His favorite color was burgundy.
Jason Oppenheim (right) as a young boy along with twin brother Brett (a lifelong Raiders fan) and their grandfather Phan, a Rams fan. Jason Oppenheim”I’ve been a lifelong Redskins/Commanders fan since I was probably 4 years old,” he mentioned. “My dad always told me, ‘You pick a team and stay with it for life.’ I’ve been a die-hard from age 4 and never looked back … It wasn’t tough being a fan then; I thought it would always be like that.”Of course, it hasn’t always been like that, as Washington hasn’t won a Super Bowl since the 1991 season; it didn’t even return to the NFC Championship Game until the 2024 season.But Oppenheim, whose high-end real estate brokerage firm, the Oppenheim Group, has been featured on Netflix since 2019, maintained his fandom. He attends games yearly in Washington and goes to games when the Commanders play in Los Angeles.In 2022, he attended a walk-through practice before a Week 5 game vs. Tennessee. Oppenheim attempted field goals on the practice field with Tress Way serving as the holder. And he attended a ceremony for Hall of Fame receiver Art Monk when the team retired his jersey this past season.
That’s why he was determined to end up with the Riggins’ jersey once Hunt Auctions declared it was up for sale. At 1 a.m. the morning of the auction, Oppenheim mentioned he was so excited he stayed up until 3:30 a.m. re-watching Super Bowl XVII.
The initial estimates suggested the jersey would sell for perhaps $200,000. Once it hit $250,000, Oppenheim mentioned he declared a bid of $350,000.
“Just to shut the auction down,” he mentioned. “I was going all-in to win this jersey. But at the last second someone bid $360,000. So I threw out $400,000.”
That’s where it closed, with another $70,000 tacked on for a buyer’s premium.
“I thought I was bidding against the ownership,” Oppenheim mentioned. “But I think I was just bidding against people like me.”
He then purchased the ring for $105,750. He’d like to somehow include those items on “Selling Sunset.” He’s told Riggins that if he ever needed to wear the ring for an event, he would loan it to him. And Oppenheim mentioned he has talked to the team about finding a way to display the jersey so more fans can see it.
“I wanted to make sure these items were not controlled by someone who would hoard them, keep them from the fan base and have it as some type of investment opportunity,” he mentioned. “I don’t feel I own these things; I feel they’re owned by the fans. To be a custodian is an honor.
“It’s the fulfillment of a childhood dream, which is to be the custodian of part of my childhood.”
