USD Football 1995

Just as important, Griffin was becom- ing a serious and conscientious student. James Retter, an English teacher of his, remembers him as "the most motivated, single-minded youngster I've ever seen .. . a model student." On the football field, Griffin was a starter as a sophomore and went on to earn All-District honors as a junior and All-Ohio honors as a senior. Archie did all this within the shadows of the buildings of the Ohio State cam- pus-he ran the ball at Columbus's Eastmoor High. At 5-8, 167 pounds, some of his friends thought Archie was too small for the rigors of Big Ten foot- ball. He was also close enough to the Ohio State scene to know that coach Woody Hayes liked 230-pound fullbacks to power his "three yards and a cloud of dust"offense. Hayes was interested, but so was Northwestern, perhaps the most acade- mically oriented of the Big Ten schools. When it got close to D-Day (decision day), Hayes visited Griffin at Eastmoor. After two hours alone in a room with the legendary coach, Griffin emerged as a Buckeye. This was only fitting for some- one born on the Ohio State campus in University Hospital. In the fall of 1972, just months removed from high school, Archie got his first taste of Big Ten varsity action in the Buckeyes' opener against Iowa. It was brief- he bobbled a pitchout that resulted in a five-yard loss. The next week against North Carolina, it was a different sto ry. Assistant coach Rudy Hubbard implored Hayes to use Archie as the Buckeyes attack sputtered. Hayes capitulated . Griffin produced. After three six-yard runs, he ripped off a 32-yarder. T hat was the beginning; later came runs of 22 and 55. When the final gun sounded , all Archie had done was break the single- game rushing record at Ohio State- 239 yards. He would finish the season

with 772 yards and add another 95 in the Rose Bowl. As a soph o- more, he rambled for 129 yard s in the first game of the season. It was the fi rst of31 con- secutive 100-yard games-stil l a n NCAA record. He ended the season with 1,428 yards rushing and anoth- er Rose Bowl trip. Assistant coach Rudy

1975 MAY HAVE BEEN THE "YEAR OF THE RUNNING BACK," BUT GRIFFIN WAS TOO GOOD TO BE DENIED A SECOND STRAIGHT HEISMAN TROPHY.

Hubbard implored Hayes to use Archie as the Buckeyes attack sputtered. Hayes capitulated. Griffin produced. As a junior, Griffin led the nation in rushing yardage with 1,620. Again, the Rose Bowl trip, but also something else-the Heisman Trophy. Griffin greatly outdistanced runner-up Anthony Davis of the University of Southern California. A marked man as a senior, Griffin nevertheless continued to pile up 100 or more yards a game. At season's end he had 1,357. Another Rose Bowl followed and so did a second Heisman. What is amazing about this is that Griffin repeat- ed for the Heisman in the "Year of the Running Back." He compiled more votes than Chuck Muncie, Ricky Bell, Tony Oorsell and Joe Washi ngton. Griffin set an NCAA career rushing

record with 5,177 yards before he said goodbye to Columbus. The record was broken the next year by Dorsett, but his rushing total is still fourth on the all- time college list. Griffin played from 1976-1983 reli- ably, if not spectacularly, with the Cincinnati Bengals. For about a half dozen of those years he played with his younger brother Ray, a defensive back with the Bengals. Today, Griffin is associate athletic director at his alma mater, where he began working in the athletic depart- ment in 1985. He is referred to as "Ohio State's ambassador of good will." JIM CAMPBELL IS D IRECTOR OF ATHLETI C DEVELOP- MENT-THE B ISON CLUB AT BUCK NELL UNIV ERSIT Y A ND ONC E S AW ARCHIE GRI FFIN DO E VERYTH ING ON OHIO STADIUM' S FIELD EXCEPT DOT THE SAND'S SCRIPT "OHIO."