Legendary Ohio State running back Archie Griffin statue unveiled at Rose Bowl Stadium

Archie Griffin, the only player in NCAA history to win two Heisman Trophies and one of the first players to ever start in four consecutive Rose Bowls, has been honored with a statue at Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California. 

The 69-year-old’s bronze statue was unveiled on Saturday, joining baseball legend Jackie Robinson, UCLA coaching-great Terry Donahue, broadcasting icon Keith Jackson and the trailblazing 1999 U.S. Women’s World Cup team as permanent fixtures at the stadium. 

The back-to-back Big Ten MVP (1973 and 1974) rose to fame during his collegiate playing days at Ohio State, where he was the back-to-back Heisman Trophy-winner in 1974 and 1975, while also collecting four Big Ten titles from 1972 to 1975.

Griffin also set an NCAA rushing record of 31 consecutive 100-yard games rushing, and his career rushing total of 5,177 yards was an NCAA record at the time.

In 1976, he was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals with the 24th overall pick and spent his seven NFL seasons playing in his home state of Ohio.  

Griffin, who was on hand for the statue unveiling, told the Los Angeles Times, “It means so much it’s indescribable.”

“I was very fortunate to be in the right place at the right time with the right people to allow me to be on great teams that did so well,” Griffin continued.

“With me having a statue, I look at it as an honor to the teams that I played on,” he said.

During No. 45’s time as a Buckeye, the team went 1-3 in Rose Bowls, but Griffin fondly remembered his time in Pasadena, saying, “this place has special memories.”

While the newest statue will live outside the Rose Bowl Stadium, an identical one has also been gifted to OSU by the Rose Bowl.

Dedan Brozino, president of the Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation and the stadium’s chief development officer, described the statue as “a permanency of Archie’s greatness as a human being.”

“Archie’s heart and desire to give back in so many ways post-football has impacted countless lives,” Brozino said. “This statue will stand for a man that represents how we can all pay it forward in life.”

The 2024 college football season will mark the 50th anniversary of Griffin’s first Heisman Trophy award.

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