On This Date in Sports December 2, 1975: Archie Two Times
In collaboration with the Sportsecyclopedia.com
Ohio State running back Archie Griffin becomes the first player to win the Heisman Trophy twice. Griffin again easily wins the Heisman vote by more than 1,000 votes, beating Chuck Muncie of California by 1,070 votes. In 1974, he beat Anthony Davis of USC 1,101 votes. To win the Heisman twice, Archie Griffin.. led the Big Ten in rushing in three consecutive seasons, becoming one of the greatest running backs in NCAA history.
The Heisman Trophy first award in 1935 is the most prestigious individual honor in college sports. It is given to the top college football player in the nation. However, winning Heisman does not translate to success in the NFL, as many college legends became NFL busts. Perhaps no player was more disappointing than Archie Griffin, who had a non-descript NFL career after winning the Heisman Trophy twice.
Archie Griffin was born on August 21, 1954, in Columbus, Ohio. Raised in the shadow of THE Ohio State University, Griffin was a star at local Eastmoor High School. At Ohio State, Archie Griffin excelled in the T-Formation for coach Woody Hayes, winning the starting spot as a Freshman.
In his second season, Archie Griffin rushed for 1,577 yards and finished fifth in Heisman voting as he led the Big Ten in rushing and was named the conference's MVP. Archie Griffin repeated as Big Ten MVP in 1974, rushing for 1,695 to lead the NCAA. He would win the Heisman Trophy by a large margin over Anthony Davis of USC. Griffin fell short in his quest to lead the nation in rushing in 1975 but won the Heisman again with 1,450 yards on the ground. Consistency was Archie Griffin's strong suit, as he set an NCAA record with 31 consecutive games with 100 yards. He remains the only player to win the Heisman twice.
Archie Griffin remained in the Buckeye State after graduating from Ohio State, as he was picked by the Cincinnati Bengals with the 24th pick in the NFL Draft. His NFL career was rather disappointing as he spent seven seasons in Cincinnati with 2,808 yards and 13 touchdowns. Griffin's best season was 1979 when he rushed for 688 yards and had 417 receiving yards to top 1,000 yards from scrimmage for the only season in his career.
After leaving the Bengals in 1982, Archie Griffin tried a comeback in 1985, with the Jacksonville Bulls of the USFL.