Fact Check: Has anyone won back-to-back Heisman trophies?

College football players are awarded the Heisman trophy for their outstanding performance on the field during a season. It is the highest individual award that is conferred upon an individual who has achieved excellence in the field of college football.

Since its implementation in 1935, we've seen various individuals claim the coveted award and then go on to make a name for themselves in the NFL. Players like Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow, Baker Mayfield, and others have achieved success as Heisman winners before venturing into their professional football careers.

Last year, we saw USC Trojans quarterback Caleb Williams lift the Heisman trophy for an incredible 2022 campaign for his team. Williams went on to rack up 4,537 passing yards and 42 passing touchdowns for USC to be named the unanimous winner of the award. But has anyone won back-to-back Heisman trophies since its existence?

Well, there has been only one player who was able to achieve this feat of winning consecutive Heisman trophies during his football career. And it was none other than Ohio State Buckeyes running back Archie Griffin.

Archie Griffin was a revered running back who played football back in the '70s and '80s. Born in 1954, Griffin went on to attend Eastmoor High School in Columbus, from where he later went on to commit to Ohio State in 1972.

Archie Griffin was named as a starter on the roster in his debut year for the Buckeyes. But his back-to-back Heisman-winning seasons were in 1974 and 1975. To date, he remains the only football player to win this prestigious award consecutively in college football history.

In his 1974 campaign, Archie Griffin recorded 1,620 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns. When he won his first Heisman trophy, Griffin was the fourth player from Ohio State to do so.

Then in 1975, he hit the 1,357 rushing yards mark along with four rushing touchdowns. This performance from Griffin in his senior year of college football was enough for him to beat out other Heisman hopefuls such as Chuck Muncie and Ricky Bell to win his second Heisman trophy and achieve the status as the only player to win back-to-back Heisman trophies in college football.

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What did Archie Griffin do after his college football career?

After his senior year with the Ohio State Buckeyes in 1975, Griffin was drafted as the 24th overall pick by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 1976 draft. However, he did not enjoy the same success as he did at Ohio State. Many thought he would go on to become one of the elite running backs to play in the NFL. But that was not the case with Archie Griffin.

He played for seven years in the league. But Griffin could only put up 2,808 rushing yards and 7 rushing touchdowns. He was also a part of the Bengals roster that played in the Super Bowl XVI in 1981 but unfortunately lost to the San Francisco 49ers.

Following the 1982 season, Archie Griffin decided to retire from the NFL. But he went on to play for the Jacksonville Bulls in the United States Football League (USFL).

During his stint in the NFL, Griffin invested in a side hustle with his brother, where they sold sports shoes. They were able to set up six stores, but poor financial decisions led them to close down the business altogether and file for bankruptcy.

After hanging up his cleats, the former Heisman trophy winner went on to become a part of Ohio State's athletic department from 1985 till the 2000s. He was also the former President and CEO of OSU's Alumni Association from 2004, before stepping down in 2015.

Apart from this, Griffin is also a part of the Board of Directors for Abercrombie and Fitch Co., an insurance company located in his home town Columbus. He is also a part of the Board of Directors for the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame.