Griffin to lead Ohio State Alumni Association

COLUMBUS - Archie Griffin, one of Ohio State's most recognizable and respected graduates, was announced today as the next leader of The Ohio State University Alumni Association, Inc., an organized body of alumni dedicated to making Ohio State stronger.

Griffin will take office as president/CEO on Jan. 1, 2004, said Dan D. Sandman, chair of the Association's board of directors and vice chairman and chief legal and administrative officer of U.S. Steel Corp. in Pittsburgh. Griffin will replace another campus leader, Dan L. Heinlen, who will retire on Dec. 31. Heinlen has spent 38 years with the Alumni Association, the last 30 at its helm.

“What attracted me to this position was my passion for Ohio State,” Griffin said. “I've had the opportunity to travel coast to coast and visit with a lot of alumni clubs and thousands of alumni and see their passion for Ohio State. I look forward to continuing the work that Dan has started. This is a great opportunity for me.”

Griffin said he is excited about working closely with alumni.

“People make the difference,” he said. “Their love of the university is very visual on football Saturdays and at basketball games. But as I have traveled around, I can see their passion not only for sports but for the university as a whole.”

The Ohio State University Alumni Association is a dues-supported organization of graduates, former students, and friends of Ohio State with 123,195 members. The organization is headquartered at Longaberger Alumni House, 2200 Olentangy River Rd., across from the Schottenstein Center.

“The search committee did a wonderful job,” Sandman said. “There was unanimous, enthusiastic support for Archie. We were impressed by his work ethic, his solid values, his dedication to the university, and his enthusiasm for taking on this new job. I can't say how excited we are that he will lead our organization into the future.”

Ohio State President Karen A. Holbrook was also delighted by the announcement. “We are thrilled to have Archie Griffin heading our Alumni Association,” Holbrook said. “He is a beloved and admired Ohio State legend, and his involvement in community initiatives across the state represents the finest characteristics of the Buckeye spirit. Furthermore, through his work as associate director of athletics, he has demonstrated the skills to manage and lead a large organization. This outstanding appointment will ensure that Archie will stay connected to Ohio State.”

One of the greatest running backs ever to play college football, Griffin was awarded the Heisman Trophy in consecutive years, 1974 and 1975, the only player to ever claim the award twice.

“The choice is masterful, and I could not be more delighted with the selection,” Heinlen said. “Archie was a tremendous athlete, but his meaning to Ohio State goes far beyond what he did in his playing days.”

Currently the associate director of athletics at Ohio State, Griffin has long been an ambassador of goodwill for the university and for the community as a whole.

“My nickname for Archie is 'the Flag',” athletics director Andy Geiger said. “He is the Ohio State symbol in so many ways. His affability, his approachability, and his accomplishments have meant a great deal to this university and to the Department of Athletics in so many ways.”

As associate director of athletics, Griffin leads 14 men's and women's varsity sports programs and oversees a budget of approximately $13 million.

“Archie's management ability and his style are well suited for this new assignment,” Geiger said. “I think it's a brilliant choice.”

Griffin brings to the Alumni Association a broad range of experience, service, and contacts.

He created the Archie and Bonita Griffin Foundation Fund, a charitable fund used to develop children's programs in central Ohio in the areas of sports, education, and travel. He also created the Archie Griffin Scholarship Fund, which raises funds for Ohio State's Olympic sports programs.

Griffin also serves on the boards of many not-for-profit firms, including the Central Ohio Breathing Association, the Columbus Youth Foundation, and the National Football Foundation Hall of Fame Honors Court. In 1998, he chaired the YMCA of Central Ohio's annual giving campaign.

Griffin's leadership in athletics is reflected in the Archie Griffin Sportsmanship Award, established by the Ohio High School Athletic Association to recognize student athletes for sportsmanship, ethics, and integrity.

In 1999, he received the PricewaterhouseCoopers Doak Walker Legends Award, which recognizes college football greats who have exemplary records of leadership in the community. In 2000, he was one of six former athletes to receive the NCAA Silver Anniversary Award for distinguishing themselves since completing their college careers.

Griffin graduated from Ohio State in 1976 with a bachelor's degree in industrial relations. He played eight seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals in the NFL.

After working for the Shoe Corporation of America for seven years, Griffin returned to his alma mater in 1984 as an assistant director of staff employment. The following year, then-athletics director Rick Bay recruited Griffin to the athletics department.

Griffin served as the special assistant to the athletic director and as an assistant director of athletics before moving to his current position. He admitted that it was not an easy decision to leave the department.

“I've got great working relationships within the athletics department - a wonderful staff and a great group of coaches,” he said. “It was a tough decision for me.”

The Alumni Association search committee was comprised of Sandman; Thomas J. Moyer, chief justice of the Ohio Supreme Court; Thomas A. Waltermire, chairman and CEO of PolyOne Corp. in Avon Lake, Ohio; former State Sen. Ben E. Espy, a private practice attorney in Columbus; Elaine H. Hairston, chancellor emerita of the Ohio Board of Regents and senior consultant of Academic Search Consultation Service in Washington, D.C.; and James F. Patterson, past chair of the university's board of trustees.

Jed Hughes of the firm of Spencer Stuart conducted the search.