High School

North Fort Myers Head Football Coach Ira Riggins Jr. Suspended Following Arrest

The first-year head coach has been suspended indefinitely by the Lee County school district following an arrest on Saturday.

Ross Van De Griek

North Fort Myers first year head football coach Ira Riggins Jr. has been suspended by Lee County following his arrest.
North Fort Myers first year head football coach Ira Riggins Jr. has been suspended by Lee County following his arrest. / SBLive Graphics

Just a few days into the start of practice for the 2025 high school football season in Florida, North Fort Myers will be playing without its head coach for the foreseeable future.

North Fort Myers head football Coach Ira Riggins Jr, who is entering his first season with the Red Knights' football program as a head coach, has been suspended indefinitely by the Lee County School District following an arrest on July 26.

The news was first reported by the Fort Myers News-Press, stated that Riggins is currently in police custody after being investigated for a misdemeanor battery charge that occurred on Saturday, July 26, 2025.

According to the Police Report, Riggins was involved in a physical altercation with his live-in girlfriend, where he claims that he was punched in the face when she arrived home, and Riggins followed by shoving his girlfriend to the ground in self-defense. Riggins has a court date scheduled for August 19th, where former Head Football Coach Dwayne Mack, who coached North Fort Myers from 2018 to 2023, will serve as the Red Knights' interim head football coach for the preseason classic against Cypress Lake on August 15th.

Riggins Spent Two Seasons as North Fort Myers Defensive Coordinator

Riggins was named the Head Football Coach back in June after taking the place of David Pasquale Jr. who served the previous two seasons from 2023 to 2025 where the Red Knights went 9-12 in his tenure. Riggins served as the defensive coordinator during Pasquale's tenure with the program.

Riggins Previous Coaching Stops in Lee County

Before coming to North Fort Myers, Riggins served as an assistant coach at Ida Baker and South Fort Myers High School.

Riggins Played His High School Football Career in Southwest Florida

Riggins is no stranger to the Fort Myers area after graduating from Dunbar High School in 2005, before moving on to playing collegiate football at College of the Sequoias in California at the JUCO level, before finishing his collegiate career at Central Methodist University in Missouri, which represents the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).

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Ross Van De Griek
ROSS VAN DE GRIEK

Ross Van De Griek has been a high school sports writer covering the state of Florida since 2021. Ross also has been scouting high school basketball and Grassroots Basketball across the Southeast Region since 2022. Ross has been covering basketball and recruiting for High School on SI since August 2024. He has collaborated with Next Up Sports, Prep Hoops, and On The Radar Hoops throughout his scouting career. You can follow him on X @rossvdg14 or reach him via email rossvdg14@gmail.com for story ideas.

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