“I am humbled to have a statue in my honor at the Rose Bowl Stadium, one of the most prestigious stadiums in America,” Griffin said in a news release. “I feel blessed to have played in four Rose Bowl Games, 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.”
From 1972-75, Griffin became the first player to start four Rose Bowls, thanks in part to freshmen becoming eligible to play when he was a freshman, Ohio State winning at least a share of the Big Ten title six straight years and the Big Ten changing its rules to allow the same team to represent the conference in the game in consecutive years.
“I was simply in the right place, at the right time, with the right people,” Griffin said. “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.”
The statue, which commemorates the 50th anniversary of Griffin’s first Heisman, is scheduled to be unveiled in August in Pasadena.
A Legends Walk honoring all of the Heisman Trophy winners to play in the Rose Bowl is also set to be added to the stadium.
“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,” Ohio State director of athletics Gene Smith said in a statement.
“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.”
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