COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State University’s legendary Archie Griffin had a statue of him unveiled and dedicated today at a packed Ohio Stadium Rotunda celebration in front of family and friends, university and athletics department leadership, the Board of Trustees, President’s Cabinet, longtime donors, Ohio State and Eastmoor High School teammates and a throng of well-wishers and fans from Buckeye Nation.
The statue is a replica of the statue The Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation and the Rose Bowl Stadium dedicated two weeks ago to the only two-time Heisman Trophy winner, one of only two players to start in four Rose Bowl Games and the Rose Bowl Game’s All-Century Player. The replica was graciously donated to Ohio State by the Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation. The replica statue and the original on which it is based celebrate Griffin’s impact outside two historic stadiums: Ohio Stadium and the Rose Bowl, in Pasadena, Calif.
“There is one group that has stood strong for me that I want to honor, and that is the fans of Buckeye Nation,” Griffin said during the ceremony. “I’ve always felt like winning the Heisman at Ohio State belonged as much to you as it did to me. I want you to know how much I appreciate the conversations, the meals and the moments that we’ve shared. I appreciate that you still remember me 50 years later.
“You showed me the greatest affection when I became number 45 and that love from Buckeyes everywhere has meant the absolute world to me. This statue will stand outside of Ohio Stadium for as long as they play football here and I love the idea that Buckeye fans might stop by to visit before a game, or talk to future generations of Buckeyes about the great teams that I played on. I’m just so honored when I think about how now, I can stay connected to the fans of Ohio State forever.”
Speakers included Ohio State President Ted Carter, Senior Vice-President and Wolfe Foundation-Eugene Smith Endowed Athletics Director Ross Bjork, Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation President Dedan Brozino and Griffin.
Griffin is a beloved Buckeye whose post-career service, contributions, achievements and accomplishments have benefited his alma mater, his community and many organizations, and they include a scholarship fund in his name to “pay forward” that supports Ohio State sports programs.
It isn’t difficult to see why Coach Woody Hayes said of Griffin, whose teams were unbeaten (3-0-1) against Michigan: “He’s a better young man than he is a football player, and he’s the best football player I’ve ever seen.”
It was the fall of 1974 when Griffin won the Heisman Trophy as the nation’s most outstanding college football player. Griffin rushed for a school record 1,695 yards that year and helped lead Ohio State to the third of what would become a conference-record six consecutive Big Ten championships.
Griffin went on to achieve legendary status in the world of college football as an Ohio State senior in 1975. That’s because little did anyone know at the time, but the 1974 Heisman Trophy would be only Griffin’s first Heisman Trophy.
Griffin graduated in 1976 with his degree in industrial relations and then played seven seasons in the National Football League with the Cincinnati Bengals. He worked for his alma mater as an Assistant Athletics Director and later was the President of the Ohio State Alumni Association from 2004 to 2015. He was honored with an NCAA Top V Award in 1976, the highest honor the NCAA can bestow for combined excellence in athletics, academics and leadership. He was enshrined into the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame in 1986 and to the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame in 1990. In 2006 he was named one of the NCAA’s “100 Most Influential Student-Athletes.” In 2011 he was the first recipient of the Big Ten Conference’s Ford-Kinnick Leadership Award, and in 2013 he was named the Rose Bowl’s All-Century Player. Griffin’s name, along with that of Illinois great Red Grange, graces the Big Ten Conference Championship Game MVP award.
Griffin, who joins Ohio State sports legends Jesse Owens and Woody Hayes with statues on campus, is Ohio State’s all-time leading rusher with 5,589 yards. His Ohio State jersey No. “45” was retired October 30, 1999, by the Department of Athletics.
Official Ohio State Press Release
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