Archie Griffin
He stands alone in college football history as the only player to ever win the Heisman Trophy twice.
Born 1954 (age 72)·American football player·Birthday: August 21·Baby Boomers
Biography
Archie Griffin didn't just excel at Ohio State; he authored a standard of sustained excellence that may never be matched. From 1972 to 1975, the compact, powerful running back from Columbus was the engine of Woody Hayes's formidable Buckeye teams. His game was built not on flashy breakaway speed, but on relentless consistency, vision, and an uncanny ability to gain positive yards every single carry. This culminated in an unprecedented feat: winning the Heisman Trophy in 1974, and then doing it again in 1975. He was the first player to start in four Rose Bowls, leading Ohio State to four Big Ten titles. His professional career with the Cincinnati Bengals, while solid, never reached those celestial collegiate heights, which only served to burnish the legend of his college days. Griffin's two Heismans are less a record and more a monument, a singular achievement that defines him and continues to define the pinnacle of college football performance.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Archie was born in 1954, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Archie Was Born
The biggest hits of 1954
#1 Movie
White Christmas
Best Picture
On the Waterfront
#1 TV Show
I Love Lucy
Archie's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1954Born
Brown v. Board of Education desegregates US schools
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $8,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Little Things Mean a Lot" — Kitty KallenBest Picture: On the Waterfront
1959Started school
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1967Became a teenager
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1970Could drive
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1972Could vote
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1975Turned 21
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1984Turned 30
Apple Macintosh introduced
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $59,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"When Doves Cry" — PrinceBest Picture: Amadeus
1994Turned 40
Nelson Mandela elected president of South Africa
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $90,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"The Sign" — Ace of BaseBest Picture: Forrest Gump
2004Turned 50
Indian Ocean tsunami kills over 230,000
Gas: $1.88/galHome: $157,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Yeah!" — UsherBest Picture: Million Dollar Baby
2014Turned 60
Russia annexes Crimea; Ebola outbreak in West Africa
Gas: $3.37/galHome: $160,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Happy" — Pharrell WilliamsBest Picture: Birdman
2024Turned 70
AI reshapes industries; Paris Olympics
Gas: $3.31/galHome: $372,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Espresso" — Sabrina CarpenterBest Picture: Anora
2026Age 72 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- The only two-time winner of the Heisman Trophy, awarded in 1974 and 1975.
- Rushed for over 100 yards in an NCAA-record 31 consecutive games.
- Was the first player to start in four Rose Bowl games.
- Led Ohio State to four consecutive Big Ten Conference championships.
Did You Know?
His brother, Ray Griffin, also played for Ohio State and in the NFL for the Cincinnati Bengals.
He never missed a game due to injury during his entire four-year college career.
After football, he served as President and CEO of the Ohio State University Alumni Association.
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