Archie Mason Griffin

The Ohio State University, 1972-75 

Born August 21, 1954 in Columbus, Ohio, the iconic #45 remains the only two-time winner of the Heisman Trophy (1974-75), leading the Buckeyes to wins over That Team Up North in each of those seasons.

‘The Arch’ actually won a starting spot his freshman year, the first year that ever could or did happen. He then promptly set a school single-game rushing record of 239 yards against North Carolina — his second game, breaking a 27 year old record — which he would top as a sophomore with 246 against Iowa.

Archie set then NCAA records by rushing for 5,589 yards on 924 carries in his four seasons with the Buckeyes, where he rushed for at least 100 yards in 34 games, including an NCAA record 31 consecutive games. He compiled 6,559 all-purpose yards and scored 26 touchdowns. 

Griffin finished fifth in the Heisman vote in his sophomore year, but won the award as a junior and senior. He also won The Big 10 Most Valuable Player Award twice (1973–74), the Walter Camp Foundation top player award twice (1974–75), the Maxwell Award (1975), and Sporting News named him Man of the Year (1975). 

The College Football Hall of Fame enshrined Griffin in 1986 and OSU retired his number in 1999. 

Griffin’s head coach, the legendary Woody Hayes, said of him, “He’s a better young man than he is a football player, and he’s the best football player I’ve ever seen.”.

BLADE ARCHIVE PHOTO BY LEE MERKLE