Somewhere out there, a little kid is sitting at home dreaming of being the next Robert Griffin III.
Given that we live in a low-down, dirty era of sports scandals and scoundrels, be assured that this is a good thing.
A very good thing.
What does that child see when he looks at Griffin?
How about a two-sport athletic marvel excelling at the most difficult position in football, who also happens to be an honors student with a bachelor’s degree in political science already pinned to his wall, a master’s degree in communications in progress and law school on the horizon?
If all were right with the world, an athlete with this kind of resume would be a household name. But the vast majority of the country is just now getting acquainted with Griffin thanks to his 359-yard, 5-touchdown performance in Baylor’s thrilling 50-48 win over TCU last Friday. It was quite a ‘how do you do’ to the college football world. And it looks like his life may never be the same again.
“It’s been crazy since that game,” said Griffin, who flew to Arlington afterward to appear on ESPN’s College Game Day. “I’ve done so many interviews, they’re calling me Ambassador Griffin. I think it’s a funny title, but I’ll do whatever I can do to help the university. I think it’s good to contribute to something bigger than yourself.”
Griffin should know all about that concept and the sacrifice it entails. After all, he’s the son of two retired U.S. Army sergeants. So it seems natural that he’d carry their selfless attitude over to his athletic career. Indeed, Griffin skipped his final semester at Copperas Cove High to enroll at Baylor so that he might contribute right away, in whatever fashion he could.
In the early going, that meant track and field, where his impact was immediate. A gifted hurdler, he finished third in the 400-meter intermediates at the 2008 NCAA meet, earning All-American honors in college before he had even completed his first pass on the gridiron. The athleticism, coordination and attitude required to dominate in one of track’s most difficult events carried over to his quarterbacking duties later that fall.
“Playing quarterback usually isn’t easy,” said Griffin, a redshirt junior who has been starting at Baylor since his second game. ”But as long as you have a good head on your shoulders, it can be. Being able to run the 400 hurdles, which is a man’s event and one of the hardest in track, gives you that mentality. It makes you focus on how successful you’re going to be, not on whether you might fail.”
It also teaches how to push one’s body to the limit for a larger goal. There is no better example of that than what Griffin did on Baylor’s final scoring drive against TCU.
Beleaguered after giving up 25 unanswered points to fall behind, 48-47, and with time ticking away, the Bears faced a third down and 10 at their own 20 yard line. They looked like they might fold under the pressure.
But Griffin wasn’t done yet. Working out of the shot gun, he threw a backwards pass in the right flat to wide receiver Kendall Wright, who then zipped it back to Griffin, who had run his route up the seam. Griffin caught it while getting smashed between two defenders.
For a second, he was down. He struggled to his feet, a bit shaken up.
But it was a first down. The gutsy play call by Baylor coach Art Briles had worked and the Bears were still alive and, more importantly, kicking.
“Coach Briles gave me the confidence to go and run it,” said Griffin. ”He called it right away, without hesitation. Kendall threw a great ball. I’m glad I could make the play.”
It could end up being the best play in college football all season. The trickery gave a spark to the rest of the team as it went on to clinch the program’s biggest win in years.
“Whenever you have a quarterback catching the ball while getting smashed between two guys, that’s grounds for getting a little hyped,” said Griffin.
If there’s a little hype around Baylor these days, Griffin is to blame. But if not for a few twists of fate, he might now be playing for a Miami team about to get hit hard by NCAA penalty. Growing up, Griffin was a big Miami fan.
“I loved the Hurricanes and those Ken Dorsey teams,” said Griffin. “I almost ended up there until Larry Coker got fired.”
So how, then, did he end up at Baylor?
“Coach Briles was a huge part of it,” said Griffin. “I really appreciated his honesty. Plus, Baylor is a Christian university and I’m a Christian. Academics was also big, as well as the track tradition. But I knew I could come here and play two sports and play football early.
“I knew I didn’t want to go somewhere else and sit for two years and get lost in the shuffle. It’s never a guarantee that you’ll play early, but if you put the work in, you can do it.”
Furthermore, the Briles offensive system seemed perfectly suited for Griffin’s rare talent.
“I like all the options I have at the line of scrimmage,” said Griffin, who threw for 3,501 yards and rushed for 635 last season. “An experienced quarterback in this system has unlimited options. Coach Briles dares to be different. He loves speed, but he also loves to create mismatches. He thinks on his feet. I’m proud to play for him.”
Last year, Griffin led the Bears to their first bowl since 1994. Heading into the 2011 season, he is being mentioned as a candidate for the Heisman Trophy. He made the Heismanpundit.com Preseason Watch List and came in third in the most recent HP poll of Heisman voters. But despite all the accolades and attention, Griffin won’t stop talking about ‘team’.
“The Heisman is a team award,” he said. ”If you win, that means your team did well. You have to win a lot of games. It’s gone away from being an individual award and now it’s been who’s the best player on one of the best teams. If I could take my whole team to the ceremony, I would.”
It’s a long season and, whatever happens, Griffin can be proud of what he’s accomplished so far. One or two more years of college ball awaits, then most likely an NFL career. Meanwhile, he still intends to study law and maybe get back to running a little track at some point, something he hasn’t done much of since his All-American freshman year.
He has no doubt that he can pick up where right he left off.
“Track is just something that’s in me,” Griffin said. ”There’s no telling what going to happen with that in the future. It’s like riding a bike. You never forget.
“It’s all about your mindset. Your mind can make your body do more than it realizes.”
Like catch a pass over the middle. Or lead a team to new heights.
Or, even win a Heisman.
