Griffins numbers more than back up that claim. At the time his career finished in 1975, Griffin was the NCAAs all-time leading rusher with 5,589 yards, which is still the Ohio State standard. Perhaps even more impressive was his consistency he set the NCAA record with 31 consecutive games with 100 or more yards rushing, a record that still stands today.

For Griffin, his path to stardom wasnt a straight one. A Columbus native and graduate of Eastmore High School, Griffin was strongly considering attending Northwestern before Hayes came to visit him in 1972. The conversation wasnt about football, but instead mostly about academics and what he wanted to accomplish off the field. Griffin put on a Buckeye uniform for the first time of September 16, 1972 and the result was ominous: his only carry of the game resulted in a fumble.

Two weeks later against North Carolina, Hayes and the Ohio State coaches gave Griffin another shot. And he ran with it literally. Griffin broke a team record that had stood for 27 seasons when he rushed for 239 yards. He had officially introduced himself to Buckeye Nation and college football and the rest was history.

The four decades following his Ohio State career would be full of achievement and accolades for the only player to ever start in four Rose Bowl Games and who was president and CEO of the Ohio State Alumni Association from 2004 to 2015. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1986. In 2006 he was named one of the NCAAs 100 Most Influential Student-Athletes. In 2011 he was the first recipient of the Big Tens Ford-Kinnick Leadership Award. In 2013 he was named the Rose Bowls All-Century Player. Griffins name, along with that of Red Grange, graces the Big Ten championship game MVP award. Ohio State retired his jersey number 45 on Oct. 30, 1999.

Griffin also is a living example of what his coach, Woody Hayes, meant when he talked about paying forward. It was Hayes who instilled in his players the importance of giving back with your time, talent and treasure. And thats exactly what Griffin has done: his many community leadership activities led him to create the Archie Griffin Scholarship Fund, which benefits Ohio States Olympic sports programs.

Simply put, it easy to see why Griffin is still regarded as one of the all-time great players in college football history. But its equally easy to see why hes regarded as a first-class person and representative of Ohio State.

Read more:
45 Years Later, Griffin's Still the Only Two-Time Heisman Winner - ohiostatebuckeyes.com