Robert Griffin III, known as RGIII, was a star college football player before joining the NFL. Born in Okinawa, Japan, to the U.S. Army sergeants, Griffin settled in Copperas Cove, Texas, where he started his athletic journey. Initially Griffin was a three-sport prodigy, but chose to focus on Football.
What Was Robert Griffin III’s College Football Team and More
He set Texas state track records and led Copperas Cove High School to a 13-2 football record as a senior. But it was at Baylor University where Griffin secured his legacy, transforming a struggling program into a national powerhouse and becoming the first Bear to win the Heisman Trophy in 2011.
Griffin enrolled at Baylor and joined their college football team in spring 2008 at age 17, graduating early from high school as class president with a 3.67 GPA.
September 2, 2011: @RGIII throws 5 TDs as unranked Baylor (@BUFootball) opens the season with a 50-48 upset win over #14 TCU. pic.twitter.com/RFEFhW4laB
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Balancing football and track, he won the Big 12 400-meter hurdles title and set an NCAA Midwest Regional record of 49.22 seconds. On the gridiron, his abilities redefined Baylor’s season runs under coach Art Briles.
Starting 11 of 12 games, Griffin threw for 2,091 yards, 15 touchdowns, and three interceptions, adding 843 rushing yards and 13 scores, per ESPN. His 241-yard, two-touchdown performance in a 41-21 upset over Texas A&M earned him Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year honors. Baylor finished 4-8.
In 2009, a torn ACL in the third game against Northwestern State sidelined Griffin, granting him a redshirt year. Baylor again went 4-8, showing how much importance Griffin had in their lineup.
After his redshirt tenure, Griffin returned healthy next year and threw for 3,501 yards, 22 touchdowns, and eight interceptions, with 635 rushing yards and eight scores. His leadership guided Baylor to a 7-6 record, their first bowl appearance since 1994, though they lost 38-14 to Illinois in the Texas Bowl.
Griffin’s Heisman campaign in 2011 was historic. He threw for 4,293 yards, 37 touchdowns, and six interceptions, with a 72.4% completion rate, while rushing for 699 yards and 10 scores.
His 359-yard, five-touchdown game in a 50-48 upset over No. 15 TCU sparked Baylor’s 10-3 season, capped by a 67-56 Alamo Bowl win over Washington, the highest-scoring regulation bowl in NCAA history. Griffin’s Heisman win, with 1,687 points, made him Baylor’s first recipient of College Football’s greatest honours.
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Entering the 2012 NFL Draft, he was picked second overall by Washington, setting rookie records before injuries altered his path. Now an ESPN analyst, Griffin’s Baylor legacy still endures, inspiring a program that reached the 2021 Big 12 title.
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