10 years later: Remembering when RG3 brought the Heisman to Baylor

Has it really been 10 years??

It’s hard to believe, but a decade has now passed since Robert Griffin III (BA ’10) took the college football world by storm and set a new standard for what Baylor football players could accomplish. His memorable season — including an opening night comeback win over TCU, the miraculous game-winning touchdown pass against Oklahoma and a regular season-ending win over Texas — drew national attention to Baylor and made “RG3” a household name far beyond the Baylor Family.

When Griffin won the Heisman Trophy on Dec. 10, 2011, he became the first Baylor player to do so — making Baylor one of only 40 schools in history to claim a Heisman winner. The announcement sparked celebrations across campus and throughout the city, and his unforgettable speech cast a vision for even greater things to come at Baylor.

“This is a forever kind of moment,” Griffin told a nationwide audience. “May we be blessed enough to have many more like it in the future.”

Since then, Baylor has won three conference championships, built McLane Stadium, and (after going three decades between 10-win seasons prior to RG3) has won double-digit games five more times.

Griffin would be drafted with the No. 2 overall pick the following year, earning NFL Rookie of the Year honors. Injuries cut short his career in Washington, but he played four more seasons for Cleveland and Baltimore before moving to the TV booth as an analyst for ESPN, where he has earned rave reviews (and enjoyed calling two Baylor games this season).

Ten years later, RG3’s Heisman season still stands as a historic “before and after” moment at Baylor, and the night he won as a “where were you?” moment for all fans at that time.

Sic ’em, RG3!