Archie Griffin will forever be enshrined in Columbus, Ohio and Pasadena, California.
Following the ceremony that unveiled Archie Griffin's statue at the Rose Bowl on Saturday, Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork revealed that a statue of the two-time Heisman Trophy winner will be unveiled outside Ohio Stadium later this month on Aug. 30, one day before the Buckeyes’ season opener against Akron.
What a moment for Archie, his family, teammates & @OhioStateFB
— Ross Bjork (@RossBjorkAD) August 17, 2024
Archie statue looks amazing. We will unveil the Columbus version on August 30 at the Rotunda. Go Buckeyes pic.twitter.com/CdQjkIedaw
The Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation unveiled a statue to honor Griffin in the Rose Bowl Stadium's Court of Champions, marking the 50th anniversary of his first Heisman Trophy award. The ceremony featured speakers including Bjork, Pasadena mayor Victor Gordo and representatives from the Big Ten, Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association and The Heisman Trust.
1 of 1 Archie Griffin statue is unveiled at the Rose Bowl today! @ohiostatefb is blessed to have him. Legend and class in every moment. #ArchieGriffin started in 4 Rose Bowls Wonderdul day supporting the @rosebowlstadium @RoseBowlLegacy #archie #heisman pic.twitter.com/pp8I8X6PBh
— Holly Rowe (@sportsiren) August 17, 2024
Congratulations Archie Griffin on the well-deserved dedication of your statue, forever symbolizing your excellence and achievements in the game.
— The Heisman Trophy (@HeismanTrophy) August 17, 2024
Joining the only two time Heisman Winner at the @rosebowlstadium statue unveiling this morning was Heisman Trustee, Anne Donahue, who pic.twitter.com/OuIZZoaDAJ
The statue stands adjacent to the East bridge near Tunnel 28 in view of the iconic Rose Bowl marquee sign. Nearby, a Legends Walk will also be created to help educate visitors on the 19 Heisman Trophy winners who have played in the Rose Bowl Game. Along with Griffin, players from UCLA, Wisconsin, Oregon, Oklahoma, USC and more will be represented in the Legends Walk.
The former Buckeye – the only two-time Heisman Trophy winner in college football history – is one of two players to have started in four consecutive Rose Bowls. He is also a member of the Rose Bowl Game Hall of Fame (1990), an honor that came four years after he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1986, along with being named to the Rose Bowl Game's All-Century team.
Hes a better man than he is a football player - Woody Hayes pic.twitter.com/36tBAdhl86
— Ohio State Buckeyes (@OhioStAthletics) August 17, 2024
“I am humbled to have a statue in my honor at the Rose Bowl Stadium, one of the most prestigious stadiums in America. I feel blessed to have played in four Rose Bowl Games,” Griffin said in a February press release. “But please know that when you honor me with this recognition, you also honor the teams that I played on during my four years at The Ohio State University. I was simply in the right place, at the right time, with the right people. That’s what allowed me to enjoy the success that my teammates and I experienced. Again, I am extremely grateful to be honored in this manner.”
Across four seasons at Ohio State (1972-75), Griffin ran for 5,589 yards and 25 touchdowns, including 412 yards in the Rose Bowl. He is the Buckeyes' career rushing yards leader and their career leader in rushing yards per game (121.5) with 34 career 100-yard rushing games, 12 more than any other Buckeye all-time. Griffin also holds the NCAA record for most consecutive 100-yard games with 31 in a row from 1973-75 on his way to becoming a three-time All-American (two unanimous) at Ohio State.
“Archie Griffin is one of the greatest players in college football history, and we applaud the Rose Bowl Stadium for erecting his statue as part of the new Heisman Walk,” National Football Foundation president and CEO Steve Hatchell said in a May press release. “As a College Football Hall of Fame inductee and long-standing member of the National Football Foundation board of directors, he has dedicated his life to promoting and protecting the game. Archie’s statue will serve as a fitting tribute to a man whose legacy is something we can all celebrate.”
Griffin’s statue in Pasadena – the first Archie Griffin statue established anywhere in the country – becomes the fifth at the Rose Bowl along with statues of Jackie Robinson (2017), the 1999 Team USA FIFA Women’s World Cup champions (2019), broadcaster Keith Jackson (2019) and former UCLA head coach Terry Donahue (2023). In addition to its appearance in Pasadena, a full-size replica of the statue will be gifted to Ohio State to be placed in Columbus.
“On behalf of The Ohio State University and the Department of Athletics, I wish to extend our most sincere thanks and gratitude to the Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation for this wonderful honor of memorializing our all-time great, Archie Griffin, with a statue at the Rose Bowl Stadium,” former Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith said. “Knowing Archie, he would want a statue for all the Heisman Trophy winners along the Legacy Walk. His accomplishments on and off the playing field are truly legendary and still one-of-a-kind 50 years later, and we are so proud and grateful that he is a Buckeye.”
Ohio State has continued to celebrate the GOAT – literally – over the years, including allowing Griffin to run for a touchdown in the 2023 spring game.
Archie Griffin, college football's only two-time Heisman Trophy winner, scores a touchdown in Ohio State's spring game. What a moment. pic.twitter.com/01xx885Tan
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) April 15, 2023
Griffin will dot the "i" in Script Ohio at halftime of the Buckeyes' season opener against Akron. He will become one of 16 non-band members to receive the honor, considered the greatest the band can extend to a non-member.
