Archie Griffin: Ohio State football’s greatest ambassador

The Ohio State football program has had plenty of former players who have represented the program and the university well following their playing careers. We call these former players Buckeye Ambassadors; People who are recognizable by fans and do things within the community on behalf of the university.

Woody Hayes used to preach that it was important to “pay it forward,” and that’s exactly what these Buckeye Ambassadors do, and no one does it better than college football’s only two-time Heisman Trophy winner: Archie Griffin.

Ohio State has been producing videos this summer called Tradition Talk. One of those videos was a sit-down conversation between Griffin and current Ohio State head coach Ryan Day. In that video, when speaking to Griffin, Day says, “What a great example you (Griffin) are, growing up here in Columbus and what Ohio State has done for you and what you have done for Ohio State. You are just one example of what Ohio State has done and (how you used) that opportunity for the rest of your life, and that’s what’s here. I think Ohio State offers that more than any other school in the country because of the combination of the city of Columbus, the fanbase, the tradition, the power of the brand, and all that comes with it.”

What Day is saying is that Ohio State offered Griffin the opportunity to become a Buckeye Ambassador after he was finished playing. If you have ever had the opportunity to meet Griffin, more than likely that meeting was a positive experience.

Despite being the only player in the history of college football to have won the most prestigious award twice, Griffin remains extremely humble. You never hear Griffin say anything ill about his alma mater. In fact, he gloats about the wonderful opportunity the Ohio State football program gave him.

“I feel like I have been at the right place, at the right time, with the right people,” Griffin stated when being interviewed following the reveal of the Big 10 Networks Icons series. “I feel the Lord has blessed me, and when you get those blessings, you want to make sure you use them in the right way.”

Griffin certainly has blessed others in and around Buckeye Nation, including those associated with the Ohio State Alumni Association where he served as President for 11 years. But he hasn’t been the only Buckeye who has been a great ambassador for the program and the university. On the most recent episode of The OHIO Podcast, Chris Wilds and myself discussed this very topic.

Whether it has been Chris Spielman, Ryan Miller, or more recent ex-Buckeyes like Bobby Carpenter and Cardale Jones, the Ohio State football program has had plenty of former players who represent the program and university in a good light. But no one has or will ever be quite like Archie Griffin.

The late Columbus sportscaster Jimmy Crum once said it best when he stated, “Archie has not only become the goodwill ambassador for Ohio State football. Archie has become the goodwill ambassador for Ohio State University.”