Rose Bowl announces plans to dedicate statue to two-time Heisman winner Archie Griffin

Few honors quite compare to a statue that will immortalize you forever. That’s why it’s so special that, per an announcement today, one of the most highly regarded venues in all of college football will be commemorating Archie Griffin.

The Rose Bowl will erect a statue of Griffin in August. As part of that, it will also build a Legends Walk in order to honor the other winners of The Heisman Trophy who have competed in the game. Both will be available to the public in time for next season in the fall and will “celebrate Griffin’s contributions to college football and the Rose Bowl Game but also highlight the Heisman Trophy lineage that has competed in Pasadena over the century-plus of iconic moments”.

“I am humbled to have a statue in my honor at the Rose Bowl Stadium, one of the most prestigious stadiums in America,” said Griffin in a statement that Ohio State shared. “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. I was simply in the right place, at the right time, with the right people. 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,” Griffin said.

This decision came from the Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation, including several donors out of Columbus. The organization makes decisions on enhancements and additions to the stadium for its future.

Griffin’s statue will be the fifth on the grounds of The Rose Bowl in Pasadena. The other four commemorate Jackie Robinson, the 1999 Team USA FIFA Women’s World Cup Champions, broadcaster Keith Jackson, and UCLA’s Terry Donahue.

Griffin played in four editions of The Rose Bowl during his career back in the early and mid-70s. He is just one of two players to ever start in four consecutive games at the event

The Rose Bowl is choosing this time to honor Griffin considering 2024 will be the 50th anniversary of the first of his two Heisman Trophy-winning seasons. He won them consecutively and remains the only player to earn the sport’s most prestigious award twice in his career.

This is the first statue for Griffin after his successful career in football. However, as part of the recognition, Ohio State will be getting their own full-size replica of the monument.

“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, with a statue at the Rose Bowl Stadium,” said AD Gene Smith.

The Rose Bowl has been in use for over a century and has seen more than its fair share of legends. Now, as one of the best to ever do it in their past connected to college football, it will remember Archie Griffin with a sculpture for the rest of their history.