Archie Griffin: 50 Years of the Second Heisman
Still Running
Fifty years have passed since Archie Griffin became the first and only player in college football history to win the Heisman Trophy twice. A four-year starter at Ohio State, Griffin was a central figure in a run that included four Rose Bowls and four Big Ten championships.
To mark the fiftieth anniversary of his second Heisman, HOMAGE spoke with Griffin about his time at Ohio State and the team that defined it.
Where the Story Begins
When asked which moments from those seasons still feel most vivid, Griffin did not hesitate. He went back to his first year at Ohio State. It was 1972, the first season freshmen were eligible to play varsity football, and simply earning an opportunity had been his goal from the moment he arrived on campus.
“That was the year freshmen could finally play,” he said. “My goal was just to make the team and prove I belonged.”
Woody Hayes put Griffin into the fourth quarter of the season’s opening game against Iowa. On that Saturday afternoon, Griffin fumbled on his first carry. The following week, he returned to practice and stayed committed to the team.
It was the Buckeyes’ second game of the season, against North Carolina, that changed everything. Griffin rushed for 239 yards, an Ohio State record at the time.
“Running down the field, I was in a daze,” Griffin said. “My number just kept being called, and I kept running like I had never run before. Everything was happening so fast, but I will never forget that feeling.”
For a freshman who had been told he was too small to succeed at Ohio State, the moment felt surreal. From that point forward, his role within the program was clear.
“To get that opportunity so early, it really felt like a dream come true.”
In 1974, Griffin won his first Heisman Trophy. In 1975, he won it again, becoming the only two-time winner in college football history.
While the achievement remains unmatched, Griffin has never framed it as an individual accomplishment.
“I have always looked at the Heisman Trophy as a team honor,” Griffin said. “I was surrounded by great teammates, and that made all the difference. When you recognize me, you are really recognizing the teams I played on.”
That perspective has remained central to how his career is remembered.
Griffin was not defined by size or speed. He was defined by reliability and rhythm. Over four seasons, he rushed for 5,589 yards and recorded 31 consecutive 100-yard games.
Those numbers tell part of the story. The rest lives in the people who made them possible.
The Team Behind the Moments
When the conversation moved away from individual games, it did not move very far at all. Griffin kept coming back to the same place. The people.
“I was in the right place at the right time with the right people.”
Griffin talked about how much time is spent together inside a program like Ohio State. Looking back, he described his career less as a collection of achievements and more as something shared. Football, as he explained it, was never something you experienced alone. Every carry depended on someone else doing their job. Every week depended on the group staying connected. Nothing happened in isolation.
As he reflected on those years, the idea of joy came up naturally, but not as something tied to winning or recognition. For Griffin, joy was steadier than that. It lived in being part of a team and a community. It came from showing up every day and knowing you were not doing it alone.
That joy came from teammates who shared the grind and from the environment built around them. For him, joy did not come from individual success. It came from being part of a group that cared about one another and worked through things together.
“There was a lot of love on that team,” Griffin said. “That’s what made it strong.”
When asked what stayed with him and what he tries to pass on now, his answer stayed consistent.
Ohio State, Then and Now
Griffin’s connection to Ohio State did not end with his final carry. He returned to campus, completed his degree, and remained deeply connected to the university and its community.
When asked what Ohio State means to him today, he spoke with the same humility he carried as a player. He talked about dotting the I. About seeing his statue outside Ohio Stadium. About walking into the Shoe and feeling gratitude more than pride.
“I never take any of it lightly,” he said. “It is an honor.”
His number 45 was retired in 1999, recognizing not just performance, but the standard he set. Today, the number represents consistency, leadership, and a way of doing things that has endured for generations.
Fifty Years Later
Archie Griffin’s legacy has endured because it reflects a way of approaching both football and life built on discipline, humility, and perseverance. He showed that leadership does not need volume. Consistency carries weight.
Fifty years after his second Heisman Trophy, the record still stands. Not because of flash, but because of the values behind it.
HOMAGE’s Archie Griffin collection honors that standard. These designs are made for fans who understand the history and the people behind it. Built with intention. Crafted in Legendary Comfort™. Rooted in respect for the work.
