Memories of Longhorn great Cedric Griffin
Cedric Griffin was one of the most enjoyable interviews I’ve done in my years in this business. You can find that interview here.
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Why was it enjoyable?
Because I still remember Cedric as a gangly teenager, one who was a star athlete but who was still just getting started in life. So to listen and hear his maturity now, how he’s grown into much more than a star athlete, it’s a rewarding experience to see that lifelong transformation.
After all, until this past week, I hadn’t spoken with Cedric in more than 18 years.
Yet when I talked with him, it all came back to me.
I saw Cedric a couple of times in high school. But where I remember him most was his participation in the first-ever national high school all-star game. The first game, which eventually came to be known at the US Army All-American Bowl and is now just the All-American Bowl, was actually played in DFW, not San Antonio.
Beforehand, I knew Cedric was good and would fare well in an All-Star setting. And I of course attended practice; they were up at Allen High School. There were other recruiting reporters there. Not as many as there are today, but still there were a few.
So we all watched. And anyone with half a brain could tell Cedric was a definite talent. Of course, like just about every star high school player, he was an athlete who was just beginning to learn how to become a real football player. Yet he had all the requisite skills, from size and speed to a willing disregard for his own body when it came to contact. And he competed hard – every rep was a competition for him.
Yet even as talented as Cedric was, he was still redshirted his freshman year at Texas. And then played all four years at Texas in what, in 2005, was the greatest secondary of all time in college football in my opinion.
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For heaven’s sakes, the 2006 Thorpe Award Winner, future first-round pick Aaron Ross, was a back-up in the 2005 secondary.
After Texas, Cedric went on to play in the NFL for seven years. His tenure with the Minnesota Vikings started off in some turmoil. But he persevered, he found his way and became a fixture in the Vikings’ secondary before closing out his career with the Washington Redskins.
Today, roughly a decade later, he lives a relatively quiet and successful life in Lago Vista. He’s not the gangly teenager anymore. He’s a husband, a father, a coach, a contributing member of society.
Many will remember his plays in the Ohio State game or in the national championship. But I’ll now remember the full circle, from how he started his young life to how he is finishing it. From a single parent kid with unbridled athleticism to a grown man with a full, rewarding life.
