Archie getting special nod for season opener vs Zips
COVER PHOTO: Former OSU running back Archie Griffin being interviewed by the Big Ten Network during his time as an administrator at the school. Picture by Sam Fahmi/Columbus Wired.
There are probably two things in college football that stand out as being an extreme honor: winning a Heisman Trophy and dotting the "i" in the Ohio State marching band's incomparable "Script Ohio".
Okay, so the latter may not be on the list of ALL former and current college football players, coaches and fans but those that bleed scarlet and gray, you're damn certain it's an achievement that most current and former Buckeyes would only dream of.
However, one Buckeye can say in a little over a month that he's done both.
The school's athletics department announced on Thursday that the sport's only two-time Heisman Trophy winner, Archie Griffin, will forever be etched in OSU lore as he'll get the opportunity to take the place of the sousaphone player on Aug. 31 during halftime of the Buckeyes' season-opening game in the Horseshoe versus Akron.
“The opportunity, in Ohio Stadium, to dot the “i” is a very special honor,” said Griffin. “I know that Woody was proud to have had that opportunity, and I am following in his footsteps and am extremely proud of this opportunity.”
The recognition, considered the greatest the band can extend to a non-member, isn't doled out lightly. The invitation to be an honorary i-dotter has only been extended to 15 non-band members for the past 88 years, including comedian Bob Hope (1978), Hayes (1983), boxer Buster Douglas (1990), golfer Jack Nicklaus (2006), Senator John Glenn and his wife, Annie (2009), and former head coach Earle Bruce, who has been the most recent when he did it in 2016.
The honor was presented to Griffin at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center in early July by the "i-dotters" - the senior sousaphone players - as a surprise.
“As a sousaphone player, dotting the “i” is the highest honor one can achieve,” said senior Nick Pisanelli, who is getting the nod to be the dot during this year's Nebraska game. “It’s a dream many of us have for years, one that we work hard for each day as a member of this band. It takes unrelenting dedication to finally be able to live that dream. Archie Griffin embodies that same spirit, and on the 50th anniversary of his first Heisman Trophy, we felt it was an easy decision to ask him to share this honor with us. He’s living proof that hard work, determination, and passion can take you anywhere, and we are so excited for him to join us as we all live out our dream.”
The band will perform a Script Ohio during pregame with band member Brody Hyre dotting the "i". Griffin will dot the “i” in a halftime Script Ohio following the band’s regular halftime show. Griffin will also be recognized at Skull Session - the band’s free pregame pep rally at St. John Arena - begins at 1:10 p.m.
During Griffin's playing days on the gridiron of the hallowed Horseshoe from 1972-75, he rushed for 5,589 yards on 924 carries (both of which still top the OSU record books) while racking up 26 rushing touchdowns. His 31 consecutive 100-yard games is still an NCAA record. In addition to the two Heismans, Griffin also has a pair of Silver Footballs, which are given to the Big Ten’s MVP by the Chicago Tribune.
“When you see someone outside of the band dotting the “i”, you know that it is extraordinary. That is how I look at it,” he said. “It is a big-time tradition for our band, university, fans and everyone who knows Ohio State. To give someone who is not part of the band the opportunity, it must be something special.”
“We are super excited and honored to have him be a part of this tradition,” said Dr. Christopher Hoch, director of Marching and Athletic Bands. “While I didn’t have the opportunity to watch Archie play at Ohio State, I remember my dad talking about him as a legend and how great of a person he was. We are looking forward to August 31 and being able to watch Archie have his well-deserved moment with the band.”
After a seven-year NFL football career, Griffin returned to Ohio State and served as the president and CEO of The Ohio State University Alumni Association, as an assistant athletic director, and as Ohio State’s senior advisor for advancement before retiring.
“To see the band perform, it gives you goosebumps. You wonder what the next big show they’re going to do, because they always do something that is special and that no others are doing,” says Griffin. “It makes you, as an Ohio State alumnus, very proud. Our band is The Best Damn Band in the Land.”
The game kicks off at 3:30 p.m. and will air on CBS.