Archie Griffin statue dedicated at Ohio Stadium

thank you thank you all so much you must have been sitting down too long side to stand up and stretch a little bit huh but thank you so much you know I only wish my mother and father were still living because I'm sure they'll be the only ones who believe all those nice things that were just said about me but again thank you so much ladies and gentlemen uh University officials Board of Trustees members faculty staff students media me my former teammates and oh yes Buckeye Nation I see you out there I see you out there in the back didn't you some of you had to work today but thank you all for for being here what an incredible day this is for me it is truly one of the great privileges of my life to be here in my hometown for this occasion I'd like to especially thank uh my wife Bonita for being with me today by my side as well as the other members of the Griffin family who are here why don't you all stand so they can see you thank you all for being here appreciate that I would also like to thank President Carter Athletics director Ross Bor rosebowl Legacy Foundation president Deon brino for their kind words today greatly appreciate that and I also want to say thank you to en coov Insurance who played a key role in making this time a reality thank you all so very much as I stand today in the shadow of Ohio stadium thinking about what brought me here today foremost in my mind are three people who left us a long time ago by that I mean my parents James and Margaret Griffin as as well as my great mentor and Coach Woody Hayes I think about all three of them every single day growing up my parents laid a foundation for my success with their strong moral values enduring spiritual faith and dedicated work ethic work hard in all you do trust in God and treat others as you want to be treated I grew up in a family with seven siblings and we learn these lessons from our parents' words but also from their actions I think about my father working three jobs to put food on our table teaching me a powerful lesson about hard work by the simple eloquence of his example I think about my mother running our small family grocery store teaching me about Community as she extended credit to neighbors who needed something to eat knowing that she might not get repaid when I came toio State and began to play for Woody hay the life lessons about hard work and faith and working together as part of a community for a greater good began a new what he taught us all about the importance of paying forward he would say you can never pay back those who have helped you but you can always you can always pay forward to the next Generation but he also taught us so many lessons about the value and importance of teamwork how you must hold each other accountable for your responsibilities about how you must sacrifice a piece of yourself to be a part of a greater good about how you must trust other people to do their job as you do your job to help the team win as we dedicate this statue today I want everyone here to know that you're not only honoring me today but instead recognizing the teams that I played on during my four years at the Ohio State University you're honoring my teammates during those four years some of who were In This Crowd today and if you've played for me with me at Ohio State University during my four years I would like you all to please stand and be recognized thank you guys for being here with me I wanted them to be recognized because these are the guys who 50 years ago did their jobs exceptionally well they opened the holes and carried out the play fak that allowed me to run for two Heisman Trophies I hope when people see this statue they think about the great teams we had the four years I played and not just the guy who wore number 45 who got too much credit I was just blessed as you've heard me say before I was just blessed to be in the right place at the right time with the right people to accomplish what I did I also have some other teammates here today who did their job to help pave my way to Ohio State where are my East Mo Warriors Stand Up Guys I really love that uh you were able to be here today as well thank you for coming across all my experiences in athletics this deep and abiding notion that teamwork is at the core of how we accomplish great things in life has made me who I am now there is one last group that I has stood uh strong for me that I want to honor right now and that is the fans of buck Nation you see I always felt like winning the Heisman at Ohio State meant it belonged as much to you as it did to me and I want you to really know how much I appreciate the conversations the meals and moments that we've shared I appreciate that you still remember me 50 years later 50 years is a long time so I really appreciate you remembering me that long I please understand that I was just a sloot footed chubby little kid right here from Columbus Ohio who they once called tank because I was soow slow running around Maryland Park when I played for the Maryland AC's the first organized football team that I played for but you've shown me the greatest affection when I became number 45 and that love from Buckey everywhere has has meant the absolute world to me this statue this statue will stand outside Ohio stadium for as long as they play football here and I want you to know that I love the idea that Buckeye fans might stop by to visit before game or talk to Future generations of Buckeyes about the great teams that I played on I'm just really so honored when I think about how I can now stay connected to the fans of Ohio State for ever thank you and and so Buckeye Nation one final time I want them to hear you back on the near east side where I played Little League football and across the freeway in Lyndon where I went to lindmore Junior High School and even on the far East Side at eastmore high school I want them to hear you all across the city of Columbus OH h i oh H I thank you all so very much and God bless each and every one of you