American football player, the first two-time winner of the Heisman Trophy, awarded annually to the best player in college football. He was a running back for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons (1976-1983).
Born in Columbus, Ohio, Griffin entered Ohio State University in 1972. He broke the school record for rushing in one game with 239 yards in the second game of his freshman season. During his four years at college, Ohio State won 40 of 46 games and captured the Big Ten title and went to the Rose Bowl each year. Griffin also set a new collegiate career rushing record of 5177 yards. He ran for more than 100 yards in 31 consecutive regular season games and was named an All-American in his last three seasons at Ohio State. In 1974 he won the Heisman Trophy in his junior year, and in 1975 he became the first player to win the award a second time. In both 1974 and 1975 he also received the Walter Camp and United Press International (UPI) awards as the college football player of the year.
After his graduation in 1976, the Bengals chose Griffin as first pick in the professional football draft, even though he was smaller than typical NFL running backs. As a professional he never attained the stardom he enjoyed in college football, but was a durable runner and good pass receiver for the Bengals. He retired in 1983 and later worked at Ohio State as associate athletic director.