Hall of Fame
A successful student-athlete in both football and track and field, Bill Herigan was a member of the 1957 PSAC Football Championship team as well as the 1958 PSAC Track and Field Championship team. During his athletic career at Shippensburg, Herigan earned eight varsity letters.
In football, Herigan was the starting quarterback for two seasons in 1956 and 1957 under head coach Jack Roddick when the team totaled a 12-2-1 record. He led the team in passing both seasons, completing 42-of-l0l pass attempts for 683 yards and four touchdowns. He was also the starting quarterback during his sophomore year.
After posting a 1-2 record as a starter in his first three games, Herigan led Shippensburg to a mark of 11-0-1 in his final 12 games. As a starter, he had a record of 6-1 at home and 6-1-1 on the road.
As a senior in 1957, Herigan completed 16-of-46 passes for 283 yards and three touchdowns as Shippensburg finished 6-0-1. In 1956, the team went 6-2 and he was second on the team in total offense with 511 yards, running for 111 yards on 38 carries and passing for 400 yards and one touchdown on 26-of-55 passing.
Herigan achieved his greatest success in track and field where he won two individual conference championships in the javelin. As a team, Shippensburg won the PSAC title in 1958 after finishing second in 1955, third in 1956 and second in 1957. During that four-year span, the team had eight individual PSAC championships with Herigan winning two of them, 25-percent Af the team total.
In 1958, Herigan led the team to the conference championship by winning an individual P~AC title in the javelin with a throw of 198-feet, 1-inch. He also won the conference championship the previous year with a throw of 190-feet, 4-inches. He did not participate as a sophomore due to injuries. As a freshman, Herigan finished second in the conference in the javelin.
Herigan was an elementary teacher in the Central Dauphin School District for 35 years. In 1966 he earned a Masters Degree from Shippensburg. During his teaching career he also coached football and track for 13 years. Several of his athletes went on to successful collegiate careers as All-Americans. His track teams won the Central Penn championships in three consecutive years, 1971-73. He later officiated track at the high school and collegiate levels. In 2004 he was inducted into the Capital Area Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame. Herigan also devoted time to coaching midget football in his community.
He and his wife Pat have five children and 10 grandchildren. Herigan and his wife have both retired from teaching.
