Archie Griffin Archie Mason Griffin ( born August 21 , 1954 ) is a former American football running back . Griffin played seven seasons in the NFL with the Cincinnati Bengals . He is college football ' s only two - time Heisman Trophy winner . Griffin won four Big Ten Conference titles with the Ohio State Buckeyes and was the first player ever to start in four Rose Bowls . High school career . Griffin rushed for 1 , 787 yards and scored over 170 points in 11 games , including 29 touchdowns , as a senior fullback at Eastmoor High School ( now Eastmoor Academy ) in Columbus , Ohio . That year he led Eastmoor to the Columbus City League championship , rushing for 267 yards on 31 carries in the title game against Linden - McKinley High School . In his junior year , Griffin had also rushed for over 1 , 000 yards . College career . Griffin played for the Ohio State University Buckeyes from 1972 - 75 . Among Ohio State University college football fans , Griffin holds a status akin to a living folk hero . His freshman year was the first year freshmen could play on the varsity team , so when he won a starting position , many sophomores were disappointed because Griffin took their spots . Former Ohio State head coach Woody Hayes said of Griffin , " He ' s a better young man than he is a football player , and he ' s the best football player I ' ve ever seen . " In 1972 Griffin was a T - formation halfback , and from 1973 through 1975 he was the team ' s I - formation tailback . He led the Buckeyes in rushing as a freshman with 867 yards , but his numbers exploded the following year with the team ' s conversion to the I - formation . He rushed for 1 , 428 yards in the regular season as a sophomore , 1 , 620 as a junior , 1 , 357 as a senior . Griffin is the only back to lead the Big Ten Conference in rushing for three straight years . Overall , Griffin rushed for 5 , 589 yards on 924 carries in his four seasons with the Buckeyes ( 1972 – 1975 ) , then an NCAA record . He had 6 , 559 all - purpose yards and scored 26 touchdowns . In their four seasons with Griffin as their starting running back , the Buckeyes posted a record of 40 - 5 - 1 . Griffin is one of only two players in collegiate football history to start four Rose Bowl game s , the other being Brian Cushing . Griffin introduced himself to Ohio State fans in his second game as a freshman by setting a school single - game rushing record of 239 yards in the second game of the 1972 season , against North Carolina , breaking a team record that had stood for 27 seasons . Coincidentally , his only carry in his first game had resulted in a fumble . He broke his own record as a sophomore with 246 rushing yards in a game against the Iowa Hawkeyes . Over his four - year collegiate career , Griffin rushed for at least 100 yards in 34 games , including an NCAA record 31 consecutive games . Honors . Griffin finished fifth in the Heisman vote in his sophomore year and won the award as a junior and senior . In addition to his two Heisman Trophies , Griffin won many other College Awards . He is one of two players to win The Big 10 Most Valuable Player Award twice ( 1973 – 1974 ) . United Press International named him Player of the Year twice ( 1974 – 1975 ) , the Walter Camp Foundation named him top player twice ( 1974 – 1975 ) , he won the Maxwell Award ( 1975 ) , and Sporting News named him Man of the Year ( 1975 ) . Griffin is also one of two players in NCAA history to start in four Rose Bowl games in a single career . The College Football Hall of Fame enshrined Griffin in 1986 . Ohio State enshrined him their own Varsity O Hall of Fame in 1981 and officially retired his number , # 45 , in 1999 . He was inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame in 1990 . In 2007 , he was ranked # 21 on ESPN ' s Top 25 Players In College Football History list . On January 1 , 2014 , Archie Griffin was named the All - Century Player of the Rose Bowl Game during the celebration of the 100th Rose Bowl Game and participated in the Rose Parade . Professional football career . In the 1976 NFL Draft , he was the first - round draft choice of the Cincinnati Bengals , selected as the 24th overall pick in the draft . Griffin played 7 seasons in the NFL , all with the Bengals ( 1976 – 1982 ) . He was joined in the backfield with his college fullback teammate Pete Johnson , who was drafted by the Bengals in 1977 , and his brother , Ohio State defensive back Ray Griffin , who was drafted by the team in 1978 . During his 7 NFL seasons , he rushed for 2808 yards and 7 touchdowns , and caught 192 passes for 1607 yards and 6 touchdowns . Griffin played in Super Bowl XVI with the Bengals after the 1981 season . However , Griffin struggled throughout his professional career , rushing for 100 yards or more in only three games and failing to record a 700 - yard season . After his career with the Bengals ended , Griffin played briefly with the Jacksonville Bulls of the United States Football League . Career after football . Griffin returned to Ohio State University to receive a MBA . Griffin is currently the President and CEO of Ohio State University Alumni Association . He is also the current spokesman for the Wendy ' s High School Heisman award program . Formerly , he served as Assistant Athletic Director for Ohio State University and still speaks to the football team before every game . Griffin also serves on the Board of Directors for Motorists Insurance which has offices in downtown Columbus and the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame , based in Irving , Texas . Along with former NBA basketball star Magic Johnson , Griffin is a part owner of the Dayton Dragons , a Class Single - A minor league baseball team affiliated with Major League Baseball ' s Cincinnati Reds . Family . Griffin is a son of Margret and James Griffin . He has six brothers and a sister . His brothers are named Jimmy , Larry , Daryle , Duncan , Raymond ( former NFL cornerback who for a time was a teammate with the Bengals ) , and Keith who also played in the NFL . His sister is named Krystal . Griffin is married to Bonita and has three sons , Anthony , Adam and Andre . Griffin ' s son Andre is currently entering his fourth year as an assistant football coach at Saginaw Valley State University . His son Adam is currently a reserve defensive back for the Ohio State football team .