It’s one thing to hear that sentiment from a coach on a Friday night. It’s another when it comes from the only 2x Heisman Trophy winner in CFB history. As part of the National Football Foundation’s “I Played” campaign, Ohio State Buckeyes legend Archie Griffin recently shared the lesson that’s carried him through football, family, and life — and it had nothing to do with touchdowns or trophies. In typical Archie fashion, his message was layered in humility, grounded in truth, and couldn’t have landed at a more poignant time.
“The most important thing that football teaches you is how to get up once you get knocked down,” Griffin said. “That’s a lesson that everybody can benefit from because things don’t always go the way that you want them to go. You have tough times, you have adversity, you have setbacks in your life. You got to be able to deal with those setbacks, and football teaches you how to deal with those tough times.” It’s a perspective forged not just from success. Archie Griffin ran for over 5,000 yards at Ohio State — but from a short-lived NFL career that lasted only seven seasons from 1976 to 1982 with the Bengals and the inevitable curveballs life throws after the lights fade.
He spoke with grace and wisdom, touching on how football, beyond the schemes and physicality, instills teamwork, discipline, and emotional grit. “Football teaches you how to deal with pressure. It teaches you how to get along in a team situation,” Archie Griffin said. “It teaches you to get back up and continue to strive to reach for the goals in which you set for yourself.” Archie’s words hit especially hard now, just days after losing one of his longtime OSU teammates — a close friend and fellow Buckeye great — who passed away at 71.
Griffin’s reflections weren’t just about football but about family, faith, and foundation. “When I was coming up, my parents had priorities for us,” he said. “They always wanted us to first of all trust God. Secondly, they wanted us to have an education. But that third thing they wanted us to do was to participate in sports.” That third thing turned into the stuff of legends. From Columbus to Canton and every Saturday in between, Archie Griffin wasn’t just the face of Ohio State football, He became a symbol of what it means to wear that scarlet jersey with dignity.
The “I Played” campaign, launched in August 2024, is designed to spotlight those very values. The long-haul virtues that often outlast stats or stardom. For Griffin, who had his No. 45 jersey retired by OSU and left an indelible mark on college football, the game was always about more than the box score.
Remembering Archie Griffin’s friend & Buckeye great Ted Smith
The Ohio State football family lost one of its pillars over the weekend. Ted Smith, the All-American offensive lineman who helped pave the way for Archie Griffin’s legendary back-to-back Heisman run, passed away on June 23. He was more than a teammate; he was a tone-setter in the trenches, a Buckeye through and through.
Smith was a consensus All-American in his final season in Columbus, a rare lineman who began his career on the other side of the ball. A LB-turned-mauler, Smith found his true calling on the offensive line, clearing paths for Griffin while embodying the grit and grind of 1970s Ohio State football. In his own words, “I played offensive line at 6-foot-1 and about 257 pounds. That was a decent size back then, but that would be small by today’s standards. The athletes are so much bigger and faster today.”
Smith understood the evolution of the game, but also its constants. “The game has changed a lot, in a lot of ways, but it still comes down to blocking and tackling. We used to just line up, knock people down, and then hand the ball to Archie Griffin.” The reverence was mutual. “He is the same now as he was way back then — very humble and very appreciative of the talents he was given.” Ted Smith remained a loyal Buckeye until his final days. And Archie, no doubt, never forgot who helped make the magic happen.
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