Football: Archie Griffin statue unveiled at the Shoe

A Heisman trophy for each statue.

Buckeye legend and former Ohio State running back Archie Griffin will forever live outside of Ohio Stadium, less than a mile from his birthplace, after the university unveiled a statue Thursday morning outside the “Shoe.”

Griffin’s accolades are one-of-one. But for Griffin, this moment was the best yet.

“This is the icing on top of the cake,” Griffin said. “I have had a lot of awards and honors and I never thought that this would happen.”

Griffin previously had a statute unveiled at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California Aug. 17.

University President Ted Carter Jr. said at the unveiling Griffin’s achievements are one of a kind, and the two busts of the Buckeye legend will be a fitting way to remember his accolades forever.

“These statues will forever celebrate Archie Griffin’s superb performances, not only here at Ohio Stadium, but also at the Rose Bowl where he started four games — one of only two players in the history of the Rose Bowl to ever do that,” Carter said.

Ross Bjork, the senior vice president and Wolfe Foundation-Eugene Smith Endowed Athletics Director, said even though he’s only been at Ohio State for 61 days, he understands Griffin is a living representation of what it means to bleed scarlet and gray.

“Archie again, one of one; I mention these things because I believe those things fit Archie Griffin,” Bjork said. “Think about people. Archie has never met a stranger. Think about culture. Archie defines what being a Buckeye means.”

Like Griffin’s former head coach Woody Hayes once noted, current head coach Ryan Day said the impact the Columbus native has made on the Ohio State community runs far deeper than his success on the football field.

“There’s only one two-time Heisman trophy winner, but more importantly, it’s the impact [he has] made off the field,” Day said. “It’s tremendous and it’s an unbelievable example to our players about the impact [he has] made in the community and charities. To see the statue being unveiled today is a great representation of the legacy that [he has] left.”

Griffin said he is beyond blessed to have had the career he did and is forever grateful to his family, friends and Buckeye fans for supporting him through the good and the bad.