Archie Griffin

By Allyson Turner

Archie Griffin (Ohio State)

In 1974, Ohio State tailback Archie Griffin became only the fifth junior to win the Heisman Trophy. The following year, Griffin received the prestigious award again and is the only player to hold two bronze statues. From 1972-75, he led the Buckeyes to a 40-5-1 record and four Big Ten titles. He is the only player to start in four consecutive Rose Bowls and was a three-time first-team All-American. Between his sophomore and senior seasons, he ran for 100 or more yards in 31 consecutive regular-season games, an NCAA record. He was named the Big Ten's Most Valuable Player two consecutive seasons and was named College Football Player of the Year by both United Press International and the Sporting News. He won the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award in 1974 and 1975. He finished his career at Ohio State with a record 5,589 yards and 26 touchdowns. Following his senior year, he received the NCAA's Top Five Award for combined excellence in athletics, academics and leadership. He graduated from Ohio State a quarter early with a degree in Industrial Relations.

In 1976, he was a first-round draft choice of the Cincinnati Bengals and played for the team until 1983. Griffin averaged 4.1 yards per carry with the Bengals. He is a member of the College National Football Foundation Hall of Fame, Rose Bowl Hall of Fame, The Ohio State University Sports Hall of Fame and the Columbus Public Schools Halls of Fame. Griffin is currently the Associate Director of Athletics for his alma mater and has been working with the program since 1984.

Each year you attend the Heisman award ceremonies in New York. What is it like for you to return to the Downtown Athletic Club?
I always enjoy going back to the Downtown Athletic Club. It's a great place to be. I get the opportunity to see former Heisman winners -- we have a wonderful time. The whole weekend is tremendous. It's really a great weekend to get back and rub elbows and do things with the former winners.

In 1974, were you surprised that you won the Heisman trophy?
I knew that I was a candidate. I had finished fifth in my sophomore year. I didn't know that I'd get it as a junior to tell you the truth. All I was doing was making sure that I was playing the best football that I could possibly play. That's all I was really concerned with. I figured that I had another year and I would have the chance then. I ended up winning it and I was really happy. I felt real good about it because it reflected the teams that I played on.

Former USC running back and Heisman trophy runner-up in 1974, Anthony Davis: I think it was tough for him when he won the Heisman because a lot people thought I should've won. Woody Hayes provided a system that exposed his abilities -- Archie was the team. But I have always had great respect for him as a player.

You've won so many awards in your career, of all the awards and the honors, which one means the most to you?
Certainly the Heisman trophies mean a tremendous amount. They mean a tremendous amount because they really do reflect the teams that I played on. We had some outstanding talents on our football teams all the way from our lineman to the running backs that I played with. Like Pete Johnson, Cornelius Greene, Brian Baschnagel and all of them. I guess if you asked me what award I feel very, very proud of, it's all of them. But the thing that really touched me was when my high school named the field after me. Don't get me wrong, the Heisman awards are tremendous and mean a tremendous amount to me but when my high school named the field after me, that really touched me.

Former teammate Brian Baschnagel: I never had a teammate that was truly a teammate as great as Archie Griffin. I'd like to tell a story that will explain what I mean by teammmate: I was a running back in high school in 1972 and was recruited by a number of schools. I ended up going to OSU because under Woody Hayes, they emphasized a running game. The I-formation featured one running back so Archie and I were both recruited for the same position. During the second game of the season, we were struggling against North Carolina. At the start of the second quarter, they called on Archie to see if he could revive the team. He rushed for a record 239 yards and he did it as a freshman. I was excited for the team but I didn't know where that left me. I was going through a lot of emotions and thought maybe I should transfer. I was young, immature but then I decided I can't be rash. I stayed after our next practice trying to improve myself as an athlete. I was the last one to go to the locker room and Archie walked in. He said to me, "Brian, I've been meaning to speak to you since the game. You know I'm from Columbus and you're from Pittsburgh. If it had been the other way around, they would've asked you to come into the game, and you would've done the same thing that I did." There was no reason for him to come up to me and say what he said. He had enough sensitivity and awareness of how his reactions would affect his teammates. And he was 17 years old at the time. It made me feel extremely welcome and I knew at that moment that I should be proud to play behind him. With his leadership and his humility, I knew we would be successful. His encouragement allowed all of us to play that much harder. Regardless of who was scoring the touchdowns, it was a team effort and he made us all feel that way. Although we all felt that he was quite a talent and his success proved it.

What was the highlight of your career?
Certainly having the opportunity to play in four Rose Bowls. That was something that was very, very special. I'll never forget that opportunity.

Was there a lowpoint?
My senior year when we lost in the Rose Bowl against UCLA. That team had gone the whole year undefeated and we had played UCLA earlier in the season and had beaten them, 44-21. Then we played them in the Rose Bowl and I guess we were a little lax and didn't listen to our coaches the way we should have. They beat us in the Rose Bowl and knocked us out of the national championship.

You were small by college football standards at 5-9, 180 pounds. What did you do to overcome that?
I never really thought about being small. If somebody would say that I was small, I would try to make an advantage out of being small. I've always said they open the holes from side to side not height wise.

Who had the most influence on you?
First of all, the Lord up above. Secondly, my father. My father was a very hard-working man. He worked three jobs to support our family. I come from a large family of six brothers and a sister. My father's goal was for all of us to attend college and get a college education -- that happened. We all played college football and my sister ran track in college. That helped us to be able to achieve our goal of a college education. One of the things that I'll never forget about my father was on one of those jobs, on Friday nights, he would take a vacation day to come and watch us play high school football. I could always count on him being in the stands no matter where we played and that was pretty special. I'll never forget that.

Comedian and Ohio State alumni Richard Lewis: One photograph that I covet in my home is one that I have of Archie. I was the Grand Marshall at homecoming and I was riding in the front car. Behind me was Archie Griffin sitting next to a circus clown. I jumped out of my car, thinking Archie was in danger, to see if he was OK. The whole parade stopped. I was afraid that it was a killer clown. I would've thrown myself in front of Archie in case it was an assassination attempt. He is that important to Ohio State. Archie lost it and couldn't stop laughing. He was blown away by bravado. It's an astonishing feat what he did, I don't think it will ever happen again. Everyone bolts out of college so fast. He is really the goodwill ambassador for Ohio State, not only because he won two Heismans. He is absolutely a gentleman. He is not full of himself. He is so down to earth. He is the nicest, most famous athlete I've ever met. And again, he might not even be here if I didn't save him from the assassination.

Currently you are the Associate Director of Athletics at Ohio State University. What does your job entail?
I'm responsible for 17 sports, soon to be 18 as we are adding women's ice hockey. I oversee their programs, their budgets, travel and pretty much the evaluation of the whole program. I love my job. I think we have a great group of coaches at Ohio State University and I enjoy working with them and being involved with the athletes and their programs.

"It's not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog." When did you say that?
I got that from my high school football coach. When we were in high school, we didn't have a huge team and he used to always say that. I've always kept that in mind and I've used it. I always get asked about my size and I always think about that when I'm asked. Even though we were small, we were able to win two city championships in my junior and senior year of high school.

What is your greatest memory of playing in the NFL?
I loved the NFL. It's a great profession. That's exactly what it is, a profession. The quicker you realize that, the better off you are. I enjoyed my years with Cincinnati. I played there eight years and I felt good about what I did with the opportunity. I averaged over four yards per carry over a career and I think that's pretty good when you play in that league. The highlight was the year we went to the Super Bowl in the 1981 season. That was a very, very special year. We went 12-4 after going 6-10 the year before, ended up playing in that game against the San Francisco 49ers. Even though we didn't win the football game, it was a great feeling to play in that spectacle.

Do you follow the Bengals today?
Yes I do. They're having a tough time but I know that feeling. We had some tough times in Cincinnati when I was there. There were a couple of years that we went 4-12 in 1978 and 1979, so I know what they're going through. But you can pull that thing together and come out of that situation with a lot of hard work, with everyone pulling together working as one. It's not easy but it can be done. We did it before.