Archie Griffin

Vocation

Notable

Traits

Family

American football player, the first two-time winner of the prestigious Heisman Trophy and three-time All-American between 1973 and 1975. He is the only Big Ten player ever to start in four Rose Bowls. A running back for the Cincinnati Bengals of the NFL for eight seasons (1976-1983), he was entered into the Football Hall of Fame. Griffin was the fourth child in his family. He entered Ohio State in 1972 where he broke the school record for rushing in one game with 239 yards in the second game of his freshman season. With him on the team, Ohio State won 40 of 46 games and captured the Big Ten title and went to the Rose Bowl each year. Griffin also set a new collegiate career rushing record of 5177 yards. He ran for more than 100 yards in 31 consecutive regular season games and was named an All-American in his last three seasons at Ohio State. He first won the Heisman Trophy in his junior year, 1974, following his triumph with a second win the next year as well as other awards. After his graduation in 1976, the Bengals chose Griffin as first pick in the professional football draft, even though he was smaller than typical NFL running backs at 5’ 9", 185 lbs. As a pro he was never the star that he had been in college but was a durable runner and good pass receiver for the Bengals. He retired in 1983 and later worked at Ohio State as associate athletic director for 16 years, overseeing a combination of 17 men’s and women’s varsity sports. Griffin married the former Bonita Davis and has three sons, Anthony, Andre and Adam. Link to Wikipedia biography