Eleven Warriors, an Ohio State sports news outlet, has expressed strong criticism toward the Associated Press after the release of the AP’s All-Time All-America Team. Despite the Ohio State Buckeyes having three players represented on the team—tied with the Pittsburgh Panthers for most selections from a single school—the site points to what it describes as a significant omission: Archie Griffin.
Chase Brown of Eleven Warriors questioned the validity of the AP’s choices in his commentary, noting that former Oklahoma State running back Barry Sanders and former Georgia running back Herschel Walker were chosen over Griffin, who remains college football’s only two-time Heisman Trophy winner. Brown wrote, “Ohio State and Pitt led all schools with three selections each, while the Big Ten led all conferences with seven selections, two more than the Southeastern Conference (…) While neither of those facts will shock you, this will: Archie Griffin was not one of Ohio State’s first-team selections. Instead, the AP selected Oklahoma State’s Barry Sanders and Georgia’s Herschel Walker as its two first-team running backs. It’s hard not to throw out the entire list’s validity when college football’s only two-time Heisman Trophy winner doesn’t earn the highest honors.”
Brown continued by addressing how awards like “greatest” can be subjective but emphasized Griffin’s unique accomplishments. He stated, “I understand that the word greatest can be hard to define, given factors such as accolades, dominance, impact, legacy and more. But to me, Griffin is the greatest because of the two stiff-arm trophies he can hoist high above his head — though maybe not anymore, as Griffin is 70 and the Heisman weighs over 40 pounds.”
While Hall of Famers Orlando Pace (offensive tackle), Jim Parker (offensive guard), and Chris Spielman (linebacker) were included among Ohio State representatives on the team, Brown concluded that Griffin could be considered “Mr. Ohio State,” implying that his absence is notable.
The timing of Griffin’s exclusion was further highlighted in light of recent NCAA rulings regarding another Big Ten program: “To have him excluded from this list the same week TTUN was let off with minimal penalties from their sign-stealing scandal is a Buckeye black pill,” Brown commented.
He finished by reflecting on Griffin’s legacy regardless of recognition by national lists: “Griffin’s greatness can never be confined to a list anyway. Unless that list is the number of multiple-time Heisman Trophy winners throughout the history of college football. Griffin is one of one. Regardless of whether or not the AP believes he’s top-two at his position.”
