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Robert Griffin III

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This article is about the NFL quarterback. For other uses, see RG3 (disambiguation).
Not to be confused with Robert Griffin (offensive lineman).
Robert Griffin III
refer to caption
Griffin III at Redskins training camp in 2012.
Washington Redskins
Personal information
Born: (1990-02-12) February 12, 1990 (age 34)
Okinawa Prefecture, Japan
Height:6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:217 lb (98 kg)
Career information
College:Baylor
NFL draft:2012 / round: 1 / pick: 2
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of 2012
TD–INT:2–0
Passing yards:320
QB Rating:139.9
Stats at Pro Football Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Robert Lee Griffin III (born February 12, 1990), nicknamed RG3, is an American football quarterback for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Baylor University, and won the 2011 Heisman Trophy. He was selected by the Redskins with the second pick of the 2012 NFL Draft.[1]

Early years

Griffin was born in Japan, where his parents, Robert Jr. and Jacqueline, both U.S. Army sergeants, were stationed. The family later lived at Fort Lewis near Tacoma, Washington,[2] and then moved to New Orleans, Louisiana, before finally settling in Copperas Cove, Texas in 1997.[3][4]

Football

Griffin attended Copperas Cove High School, where he was a three-sport star in basketball, football, and track. He started at quarterback for two seasons. During his junior season, he passed for 2,001 yards and 25 touchdowns with two interceptions, while compiling 876 rushing yards for 8 touchdowns. He received first-team All-District 16-4A honors after the season. As a senior, he recorded 1,285 rushing yards, posting 24 touchdowns, and passed 1,356 yards for 16 touchdowns with seven interceptions. In his senior season Copperas Cove finished with a record of 13–2, and lost in the championship game of the 2007 Class 4A Division I state playoffs. Over the two seasons, he rushed for a total of 2,161 yards and 32 touchdowns, while passing for 3,357 yards and 41 touchdowns with nine interceptions.[5]

Track

In track, he broke state records for the 110-meter and 300-meter hurdles. He ran the 110-meter hurdles in 13.55 seconds, and the 300-meter hurdles in 35.33 seconds. The 300-hurdles time was one-hundredth of a second short of tying the national high school record at that time. He was also a gold medalist in the 110 and 400-meter hurdles on the AAU track and field circuit. In 2007, as a junior, he was rated the No. 1 high school 400-meter immediate hurdler in the country, and was tied at No. 1 for the 110-meter sprint hurdler in the nation. His personal best in the 110-meter hurdles, 13.46 sec, ranked fifth in the world among junior athletes,[6] while his personal best in the 400-meter hurdles, 49.56 sec, was World Junior Leading in 2007.[7] Also as a junior, he received the Gatorade Texas Boys Track and Field Athlete of the Year award,[5] and was named to USA Today′s 2007 All-USA Track and Field team.[8]

College recruitment

Rivals.com, a college football recruiting service, ranked Griffin the fourth-best dual-threat quarterback in the nation and the 42nd-best player in Texas in the high school prospect class of 2008.[9] During the college recruiting period, Griffin was pursued by Stanford, Tennessee, Kansas, Nebraska, Houston, Tulsa, Illinois, Washington State, and Oregon. Griffin initially committed to play for the University of Houston under head coach Art Briles. When Briles left Houston to take the head coaching position at Baylor, Griffin switched his commitment and eventually signed a National Letter of Intent to play for Baylor,[10] in part because the university also had a top track and field program.[11]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight 40‡ Commit date
Robert Griffin
QB 		Copperas Cove, Texas Copperas Cove HS 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 4.4 Dec 3, 2007 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 77
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 12 (QB)   Rivals: 4 (Dual-threat QB)  ESPN: 40 (QB)
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Baylor Football Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved 2011-12-14.
  • "2008 Baylor Football Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved 2011-12-14.
  • "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2011-12-14.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved 2011-12-14.
  • "2008 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved 2011-12-14.

College career

Griffin graduated from high school a semester early, after serving as class president and ranking seventh in his class.[11] He began attending Baylor University during the spring 2008 semester when he was 17 years old. As a member of the Baylor Bears track and field team, Griffin finished in first place in the 400-meter hurdles at both the Big 12 Conference Championship and the NCAA Midwest Regional Championship meets; he also broke the NCAA Midwest Regional 400-meter hurdles record. He placed third in the NCAA meet and also participated in the U.S. Olympic Trials, in which he advanced to the semifinals.[3] Griffin graduated in three years with a degree in political science and a 3.67 GPA, while appearing on the Dean's List twice[11]. During his final year of college sports eligibility, he was studying for a master's degree in communication.[12]

2008 season

See also: 2008 Baylor Bears football team

As a true freshman playing for the Baylor Bears football team, he earned Big 12 Conference Offensive Freshman of the Year honors. Griffin started 11 of 12 games his freshman season. In the upset 41–21 victory over the Texas A&M Aggies, he recorded 13-of-23 passes for 241 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions, and no sacks.[13]

Griffin garnered Big 12 Freshman of the Year honors from the league's coaches (who are not allowed to vote for their own players) as well as the media.

The team finished the season with a 4–8 record (2–6 Big 12).[14]

2009 season

Griffin III at 2009 Meet the Bears scrimmage.
See also: 2009 Baylor Bears football team

Griffin sat out for the remainder of the 2009 season after sustaining an isolated tear to his ACL in the first half of the third game and his third start of his sophomore year. The Bears picked up a 68-13 victory over Northwestern State.[15]

Season record was 4–8 (1–7 Big 12).

2010 season

See also: 2010 Baylor Bears football team

Griffin was granted redshirt status so he entered the 2010 season as a redshirt sophomore. According to the bylaws, players who are injured after playing less than 30 percent of the season may be eligible (Griffin was injured during game three of 12 of the 2009 season, with 25 percent of the season completed).[16]

Baylor finished the season 7–6 (4–4 Big 12).

2011 season

See also: 2011 Baylor Bears football team

Coming into the 2011 season, the Baylor Bears were not expected to do well, being picked 6th in the Big 12 preseason poll.[17] The Bears opened the season with 15th ranked TCU. The Bears took a 47-23 lead into the 4th quarter, and were able to fight off a comeback after TCU gained the lead 48-47 briefly, only for Baylor to kick the game winning field goal and win 50-48. They pulled off the upset in large part to Griffin's performance, who passed for 359 yards, 5 touchdowns and a 77.8% completion percentage. On the game winning drive, Griffin also caught a key pass. Following the win, Baylor entered the AP Poll rankings for only the third time in the previous 15 seasons, at 20th,[18][19] and Griffin was considered by many to be a Heisman Trophy candidate.[20] After a bye week, Baylor shut out Stephen F. Austin State University 48-0 and Griffin went 20 of 22 (90.9%) for 247 yards and 3 touchdowns and ran for 78 yards.[21] In week 4, Griffin ushered Baylor to their third win, beating Rice University 56-31. Griffin completed 29 of 33 passes (87.9%) for 338 yards with 51 yards rushing and a touchdown.[22] In week five, against Kansas St. Griffin almost brought the bears to their fourth win, but lost 36-35 to Kansas St. completing 23 out of 31 (74.2%) for 346 yards, five touchdowns, and one interception. In week five against Iowa St. Griffin took Baylor to Iowa for their fourth win completing 22 out of 30 (73.3%) for 212 yards, one touchdown, and zero interceptions. He won the Heisman Trophy, becoming the first player from Baylor to win it. Griffin also led Baylor to a 10-3 record, including a 67-56 win over the Washington Huskies in the Alamo Bowl. With a combined 123 points, it stands as the highest scoring regulation bowl game in NCAA history. Due to the Alamo Bowl, Griffin became the first player since Tim Tebow in 2007 to win the Heisman, and not appear in the National Championship (#1 LSU faced #2 Alabama).

Griffin, who graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science with a 3.67 grade point average in December 2010, began pursuing a masters in communications in 2011.[23][24] On January 11, 2012, Griffin officially announced his intention to enter the 2012 NFL Draft.[25]

Statistics

Season Passing Rushing Receiving Total Offense
Comp Att Yds Pct TD Int Rating Att Yds Avg Lng TD Rec Yds Avg Yards
2011 291 402 4,293 72.4% 37 6 189.5 161 699 3.9 49 10 1 15 15 4,952
2010 304 454 3,501 67% 22 8 144.2 149 635 4.3 71 8 0 0 0 4,145
2009 (3 games**) 45 69 481 65.2% 4 0 142.9 27 77 2.9 17 2 1 19 19 558
2008 (12 games) 160 267 2,091 59.9% 15 3 142.0 173 843 4.9 63 13 0 0 0 2,934
Total 776 1,159 10,071 66.125% 78 17 155.35 510 2,199 4.3 32 3 3 24 12,294
  • **Griffin sat out for the remainder of the 2009 season after sustaining an isolated tear to his ACL in the first half of the third game and his third start of his sophomore year.
  • In 2009, Griifin had one (1) punt for 59 Yards.
  • In 2011, Griffin had three (3) punts for a total of 99 yards, the longest was 39 yards.

College awards and honors

School records

Griffin set or tied 8 single-game, 26 single-season, and 20 career Baylor records.[33]

  • 2008 Rushing yards by a freshman: 843
  • 2008 Rushing yards by a QB: 843
  • 2008 Rushing yards (Game): 217[34]
  • 2008 Rushing yards Per attempt (Game): 19.7[34] vs. Washington State, (11 for 217 yards; also a conference record)
  • 2008 Rushing TDs (Season): 13 (tied)
  • 2008 Rushing TDs by a QB (Season): 13
  • 2011 Most passing yards (Season): 4,293
  • 2011 Most touchdown passes (Season): 37
  • 2011 Highest passing efficiency rating (Season): 189.5
  • 2011 Highest completion percentage (Season): 72.4
  • 2011 Most total offense (Season): 4,992
  • Most passing yards (Career): 10,366
  • Most touchdown passes (Career): 78
  • Highest passing efficiency rating (Career): 158.9
  • Highest completion percentage (Career): 67.1
  • Most total offense (Career): 12,620
  • Rushing TDs by a QB (Career): 23
  • 100-yard Rushing games by QB (Season): 4
  • 100-yard Rushing games by QB (Career): 5

Professional career

2012 NFL Draft

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash Vertical jump Broad jump
6 ft 2+3⁄8 in
(1.89 m) 		223 lb
(101 kg) 		32+1⁄4 in
(0.82 m) 		9+1⁄2 in
(0.24 m)		 4.41 s 39 in
(0.99 m)		 10 ft 0 in
(3.05 m)
All values from the NFL Combine [35]

Griffin was not perceived as a first-round draft pick prior to his junior season.[36][37][38] By midseason, however, he had drawn the attention of NFL scouts and analysts, now being projected an early first round selection.[39][40] Towards the end of his junior season, Griffin had established himself as the No. 2 quarterback prospect for the 2012 NFL Draft, behind the unanimous first pick projection Andrew Luck.[41][42]

Griffin was widely projected to be the No. 2 pick of the draft, but the team originally holding the pick—the St. Louis Rams—had already selected Sam Bradford to be their long-term starting quarterback with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft. Wanting to stick with Bradford, the Rams decided to deal the pick prior to the draft, with the Cleveland Browns and Washington Redskins perceived as the most interested bidders. After a brief bidding process, the Redskins acquired the pick by giving the Rams four high-value draft picks over three years: their No. 6 overall pick in 2012, their second-round pick in 2012, and their first-round picks in 2013 and 2014.[43]

As expected, the Redskins selected Griffin at No. 2, making him the second Baylor Bear to be drafted this high in four years (after Jason Smith in 2009), but the first Baylor quarterback to be chosen second overall since Adrian Burk in 1950.

2012 season

Griffin wears number 10 for the Redskins, with "Griffin III" on the back of his jersey. This makes him the first player in the history of the "Big Four" professional sports leagues (NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL) to have a Roman numeral on the back of his jersey, as the NFL changed the rule in 2012 to allow players to include generational titles in their names. Griffin previously had "Griffin III" on the back of his jersey while in college, which was actually necessary in order to distinguish him from the other Robert Griffin on the Baylor team.[44] On July 18, 2012, the Redskins officially signed him to a four-year, $21.1 million contract with a $13.8 million signing bonus.[45]

In his first game as a rookie, Griffin completed 19 of 26 passes for 320 yards and 2 TDs in a 40-32 win over the New Orleans Saints. He also added 42 rushing yards on 10 carries.

Endorsements

Griffin has signed a number of endorsement deals from companies such as adidas, Castrol Motor Oil, EA Sports, EvoShield, Gatorade, Nissan, and Subway. According to ESPN's Dollars blog, Griffin has "earned more than any other rookie in NFL history before throwing his first regular-season pass," largely as a result of endorsements. [46]

Personal

Robert Griffin III has family ties to New Orleans. His paternal grandfather, Robert Griffin Sr, was a foreman for a New Orleans construction company. He died in 1984 at age 43 from a brain aneurysm after suffering from glaucoma for several years.[2][47] Financial hardship caused the family to move to the Desire Projects neighborhood.

Griffin's father, Robert Griffin Jr, a talented basketball player at Kennedy High School, enlisted in the Army before he graduated.[47] While stationed in Fort Carson, Colorado, he met and later married Jackie Griffin (née Ross).[2] The couple were deployed to Okinawa, Fort Lewis, and Fort Hood, nearby where they eventually settled after retiring from the military.

At Baylor, Griffin met his fiancée Rebecca Liddicoat, a native of Boulder, Colorado.[48]

References

  1. ^ "Robert Griffin III headed to NFL". ESPN.com. January 12, 2012. Retrieved January 16, 2012.
  2. ^ a b c Friend, Tom (April 23, 2012). "Third and gold: The story behind RG3's name is as good as his game". ESPN The Magazine. ESPN.
  3. ^ a b "Baylor quarterback Griffin is doing it all".
  4. ^ "Baylor QB makes quick impact on field, track".
  5. ^ a b "Robert Griffin - Baylor Bears bio".
  6. ^ 2007 Top Lists: 110m High Jump, Males at iaaf.org
  7. ^ 2007 Top Lists: 400m Hurdles, Males at iaaf.org
  8. ^ "2007 Boys All-USA Track and Field team". USA Today. 25 July 2007.
  9. ^ "Robert Griffin".
  10. ^ "Big 12 Roundup: Bearing down, Buffalo stampede and more".
  11. ^ a b c Jenkins, Sally (2012-03-11). "Robert Griffin III: His military appreciation will play well in the NFL and would benefit the Redskins". Washington Post. Retrieved March 17, 2012.
  12. ^ Academic All-Americans RG3 & Luck Among Heisman Finalists - Baylor Bears Official Athletic Site - BaylorBears.com
  13. ^ http://www.aggiesports.com/football/Baylor-QB-presents-tough-challenge-for-Aggie-defense
  14. ^ "Robert Griffin #10 QB".
  15. ^ "Baylor QB Griffin Out for Season".
  16. ^ "2009-2010 NCAA operating bylaws" (PDF).
  17. ^ "Big 12 Announces Media Preseason Football Poll". Big 12 official website.
  18. ^ "Baylor Bears AP Poll History". sports-reference.com.
  19. ^ "2011 Week 2 College Football Rankings". Espn.com.
  20. ^ "Espn Heisman watch". Espn.com.
  21. ^ No. 19 Baylor beats SFA 48-0 in shortened game - College Football - Rivals.com
  22. ^ Griffin carries No. 17 Baylor past Rice 56-31 - College Football - Rivals.com
  23. ^ "Robert Griffin - Academics".
  24. ^ KWTX.com
  25. ^ "Heisman winner Griffin leaves Baylor to enter NFL draft". CNN. January 11, 2012.
  26. ^ "2008 All-Big 12 Football Awards Announced".
  27. ^ "Dallas Morning News' All-Big 12 Team".
  28. ^ "Baylor's Robert Griffin top offensive newcomer on AP all-Big 12 team".
  29. ^ "2008 TRIBUNE-HERALD ALL-BIG 12 FOOTBALL TEAM: It's all about offense".
  30. ^ "Griffin, Charbonnet and Wolfert Named Big 12 Football Players of the Week".
  31. ^ "Sporting News' college football All-Freshman Team".
  32. ^ "Rivals.com 2008 Freshman All-America Teams".
  33. ^ "Robert Griffin III". Baylor Athletics. Retrieved 2012-08-23.
  34. ^ a b "Griffin, Charbonnet and Wolfert Named Big 12 Football Players of the Week". Big 12 Conference. 2008-09-15. Retrieved 2012-08-23.
  35. ^ Robert Griffin III NFL Combine profile
  36. ^ Prisco, Pete (May 1, 2011). "Flash forward: Top 32 picks for the 2012 NFL Draft". CBSSports.com.
  37. ^ Pauline, Tony (May 3, 2011). "Stanford's Luck headlines early look at top 2012 draft prospects". Sports Illustrated.
  38. ^ Reuter, Chad (May 4, 2011). "2012 mock draft: First look with Luck and Heels". CBSSports.com.
  39. ^ Pauline, Tony (October 24, 2011). "Andrew Luck, Trent Richardson high in midseason NFL draft rankings". SI.com.
  40. ^ Schrager, Peter (November 15, 2011). "Midseason 2012 NFL Mock Draft". FoxSports.com.
  41. ^ "2012 NFL Mock Draft: Post-BCS Championship Game version". CNN. January 10, 2012.
  42. ^ "Andrew Luck tops pre-Super Bowl NFL mock draft". CNN. January 27, 2012.
  43. ^ Washington Redskins acquire No. 2 overall pick from St. Louis Rams - ESPN
  44. ^ "Robert Griffin III's historic Roman conquest". ESPN. 2012-05-24. Retrieved 2012-05-24.
  45. ^ Jones, Mike (July 18, 2012). "Quarterback Robert Griffin III signs four-year, $21 million contract with Redskins". WashingtonPost.com. Retrieved 2012-07-18.
  46. ^ Rovell, Darren (2012-08-25). "RG3 surpasses Luck in early endorsements". ESPN. Retrieved 2012-08-27.
  47. ^ a b Lewis, Ted (April 26, 2012). "NFL draft: Robert Griffin III and family ties from New Orleans are poised to celebrate". Times-Picayune.
  48. ^ "Unforgettable". Baylor Magazine. December 12, 2011.

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