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1974 & 1975 - 40th & 41st Awards
Archie Griffin
Ohio State Back

As a junior at Ohio State Archie was named to every All-American team and was called "the greatest football player I've ever coached" by Woody Hayes. Combining power, speed and an uncanny ability to break four or five tackles on a single play, he smashed the all-time record for running backs in the Big Ten, amassing 4,064 yards. As a senior Archie extended his record of consecutive 100-yards plus games to 31, his overall yardage to 5,176 and became the only player ever to win the Heisman twice. Griffin was exceptional in several ways. Of course, he was magnificently consistent, yards week in and week out. Griffin, a leader both on the field and off, always remained modest. Most significantly, Archie reflected the high standards of the Griffin family, exemplifying hard work, devotion to excellence and resilience. After graduating early from Ohio State with an excellent scholastic record, Griffin was signed by the Cincinnati Bengals. He is currently working at his alma mater as Associate Director of Athletics.

Archie was elected to the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame in 1986.

The Voting - 1974

 

Points

 

Place

Name

School

Class

Pos.

1

2

3

Total

1stArchie GriffinOhio StateJr.RB483198 751,920
2ndAnthony DavisSouthern CaliforniaSr.TB120148163819
3rdJoe WashingtonOklahomaJr.HB 87146108661
4thTom ClementsNotre DameSr.QB 26 49 68244
5thDavid HummNebraskaSr.QB 23 46 49210
6thDennis FranklinMichiganSr.DE 6 30 22100
7th Rod ShoateOklahomaSr.LB 12 16 2997
8thGary SheideBrigham YoungSr.QB 12 19 1690
9thRandy WhiteMarylandSr.DT 9 20 1885
10thSteve BartkowskiCaliforniaSr.QB 6 13 3074

Ohio State junior star Archie Griffin won in a landslide, getting more than four times the number of first place points as runnerup Anthony Davis of Southern California. Running backs took the top three positions.

No. of registered electors: 1,075
Date of announcement: December 3, 1974
Date of dinner: December 12, 1974

The positions within each region are as follows:

PlaceEASTSOUTHMIDWESTSOUTHWESTFAR WEST
1stGriffinGriffinGriffinGriffinGriffin
2ndDavisDavisWashingtonWashingtonDavis
3rdWashingtonWashingtonDavisDavisWashington
4thClementsSolomonHummShoateScheide
5thWhiteClementsClementsSheideBartkowski

Griffin became the only two-time Heisman Trophy winner as he took four of the five regions. Chuck Muncie of California won the West to prevent Griffin from back-to-back sweeps of the sections. It was a standout year for running backs as they took the top six spots and seven out of the top 10.

The Voting - 1975

  Points  
PlaceNameSchoolClassPos.123Total
1stArchie GriffinOhio StateSr.RB4541671041,800
2ndChuck MuncieCaliforniaSr.TB145104 87730
3rdRicky BellSouthern CaliforniaJr.TB 70169160708
4thTony DorsettPittsburghJr.RB 66149120616
5thJoe WashingtonOklahomaSr.HB 29 47 69250
6thJimmy DuboseFloridaSr.RB 19 13 29112
7th John SciarraUCLASr.QB 12 15 2086
8thGordon BellMichiganSr.TB 2 27 2484
9thLeroy SelmonOklahomaSr.DT 7 22 1479
10thGene SwickToledoSr.QB 5 19 2073

No. of registered electors: 1,041
Date of announcement: December 2, 1975
Date of dinner: December 11, 1975

The positions within each region are as follows:

PlaceEASTSOUTHMIDWESTSOUTHWESTFAR WEST
1stGriffinGriffinGriffinGriffinMuncie
2ndDorsettDorsettR. BellMuncieGriffin
3rdMuncieR. BellMuncieWashingtonR. Bell
4thR. BellMuncieDorsettR. BellDorsett
5thWashingtonDuboseWashingtonDorsettSciarra

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