Sports Hero

After the Tiger Woods revelations today (with no doubt more to come), I’ve decided not to “pile on”. I have always admired his talent and his competitive spirit—and now that we have seen that he is merely human with all of the flaws that many of us have, I’ll respect his wishes for privacy—and will decline judging him.

There are sports heroes I do admire—and Archie Griffin of The Ohio State University is one of them. The ONLY two-time Heisman Trophy winner picked up his second statue on this date in 1975.

All of that could change a week from Saturday( the 12th), as Tim Tebow of Florida could garner his second award. In fact, Tebow was a finalist last year and the prospect of his winning three was NOT remote after scoring the first one as a sophomore.

As an OSU alum, I cannot begin to claim impartiality, but Griffin’s accomplishments are the stuff of legend. In his very first game as a freshman (the first year that true freshman could play varsity), Coach Woody Hayes was reluctant about putting Griffin in the game against North Carolina.

He shouldn’t have worried. Griffin rushed for 239 yards in his very first appearance, setting a single-game rushing record for Ohio State! Needless to say, Griffin started every other game in his career-and in 1974, became only the 5th junior to win the Heisman.

During his senior season, Griffin extended his streak of 100-plus-yard games to 31, picking up his unprecedented SECOND Heisman on this day 34 years ago.

Enjoy this Ohio State football propaganda film:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZoGCFXcdJA

Griffin went on to play for the Cincinnati Bengals-a career that lasted for seven years before a serious stomach injury sidelined him for good.

He returned to his alma mater in 1984, becoming Associate Athletic Director-and later President of the OSU Alumni Association.

His number (45) was the first one ever retired at Ohio State.
GO BUCKS!!!!

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