University of Northern Colorado Athletics
Football
- Title:
- Assistant Coach | Wide Receivers | Returners
- Email:
- unc_football@unco.edu
- Phone:
- 970.351.3046
Mike Rigell serves as the Receivers and Returners Coach at the University of Northern Colorado, joining Head Coach Ed Lamb’s staff in February 2024. Rigell brings extensive coaching experience across multiple levels of football, including collegiate, the CFL, and the NFL.
Before coming to UNC, Rigell was selected with the Calgary Stampeders internship for the Canadian Football League (CFL), working as a Wide Receivers and Special Teams Guest Coach. Prior to that, he served as the head coach at Simon Fraser University from 2019 to 2023, where he oversaw all aspects of the football program, including recruiting, academic coordination, budgeting, hiring, scheduling, team travel, fundraising, equipment procurement, and alumni and community engagement. Before being promoted to head coach, he served as Receivers Coach, Special Teams Coordinator, Recruiting and Academic Coordinator from 2018 to 2019.
Rigell’s coaching career has taken him across various collegiate programs. He was the Secondary Coach and Special Teams Coordinator at Southern Virginia University from 2016 to 2017. From 2014 to 2016, he was at Snow College, where he coached running backs and wide receivers while also serving as the Special Teams Coordinator. In 2013, he took on the role Running Backs Coach at the University of Puget Sound.
In the summer of 2013, Rigell participated in the Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship with the Kansas City Chiefs of the NFL. The program is designed to provide minority coaches with hands-on experience learning in training camps, OTAs, and mini-camps, with the goal of increasing knowledge from Coaches at the highest level of the Profession.
His early coaching experience includes working as the Running Backs and Wide Receivers Coach at New Mexico Highlands University from 2012 to 2013 and as the Running Backs and Returners Coach at Idaho State University from 2010 to 2011. He also spent time at the University of Utah in 2010 as a Volunteer Assistant Coach.
As a player, Rigell was a standout wide receiver and return specialist at Brigham Young University from 1997 to 2001 playing for legend Lavell Edwards. His collegiate career earned him Honorable Mention All-Mountain West Conference honors. Following his time at BYU, he continued his playing career professionally in the Arena Football League from 2003 to 2006.
A native of Lakewood, Washington, Rigell earned a bachelor’s degree in Communications – Broadcast Journalism from Brigham Young University in 2002. He later earned a master’s degree in Special Education from New Mexico Highlands University in 2019.
Education: B.A. 2002 Communications: Broadcast Journalism, M.A. 2019 Special Education: Youth Mental Health Therapy
Hometown: Tacoma (Lakewood) Washington
Children: Daughter~ Mataya Rigell Perry
| Year | School | Position |
| 2005 | Shelton HS (WA) | Running Backs/ Special Teams Coordinator/ Secondary |
| 2006 | Clover Park HS (WA) | QBs/ Receivers/ Returners/ Secondary |
| 2007 | Foster HS (WA) | Offensive Coordinator/ QBs/ Receivers |
| 2008-2010 | Interlake HS (WA) | Running Backs/ Receivers/ Defensive Coordinator |
| 2010 (Spring) | University of Utah | Volunteer Offense Asst-Receivers: Academics |
| 2011-2012 | Idaho State University | Offensive Analyst/ Running Back/Returners |
| 2012-2013 | New Mexico Highlands | Running Backs |
| 2013 (Summer) | Kansas City Chiefs | Running Backs/ Returners |
| Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship | ||
| 2013-2014 | University of Puget Sound (UPS) | Running Backs/ Returners |
| 2014-2016 | Snow College | Running Backs/ Receivers/Returners |
| 2016-2017 | Southern Virginia University | Secondary Coach/ Pass Game Coordinator |
| 2018-2019 | Simon Fraser University | Receivers/ Sp.Teams Coordinator |
| 2019 (May)-2023 | Simon Fraser University | Head Coach |
| 2023 (Summer) | Calgary Stampeders | Receivers/ Special Teams Asst |
| 2024-Present | University of Northern Colorado | Receivers/Returners |
