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Robert Griffin III TX now enrolled at Baylor
History's #2 400 hurdler graduates early, foregos senior year in track
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
By SteveU and John Sullivan
photos by Kirby Lee at Texas Relays and Donna Dye at Great Southwest
 As track/football star Robert Griffin III completed his amazing junior year campaign at Copperas Cove TX last spring – with his dominating state meet, Great Southwest, and AAU JOs performances entrenching him on the annual and all-time hurdle lists – those close to the family and the Texas scene said that they thought he would not compete as a senior, but rather graduate early and try and get into college during the winter. DyeStat twice reported as much, in reviewing 2007’s top hurdlers and previewing 2008.
This week, it’s official. Robert Griffin, who also starred as a quarterback at Copperas Cove, is enrolled at Baylor. The Bears’ head track coach Todd Harbour told DyeStat that Griffin is committed to the football program for now, and that while the gridiron is his first priority, he will definitely compete at some point in collegiate track later this spring.
As a prep trackster, Griffin was on the national radar by his soph campaign, which he concluded with a 51.77 400H at AAU JOs. As a junior, he hit 13.55 (nwi) and 36.64 early, then worked that 300H time down – with 36.41, 35.96, 35.86, and finally 35.33 at TX 4A State, good for #2 all-time and just .01 off the USR. He also ran a US#1 13.55 legal.
On a dramatic weekend in early June, Griffin went for the HSR at Great Southwest, but settled for 35.47. Meanwhile, CA star Jeshua Anderson, who had run 35.34 in his state meet prelims the day before, topped it with an HSR 35.28 that evening. Those two then had 4 of the top 9 performances in 300H history.
Griffin missed NON and USATF Juniors with football commitments, but returned to the AAU JO meet to go for HSR at 400H. After a 50.07 prelim, Griffin ripped a 49.56 for #2 all-time, just .18 off the HSR. He also equaled the (legal wind) US#1 110H in Knoxville at 13.46.
 Last spring, Griffin told DyeStat that he wasn't sure where he was going to school to play football, but if they wanted him to graduate early he was willing to do that. He said it would be up to the college football coach. At the time, Baylor reportedly wasn't offering a scholarship as they had another QB recruit in mind.
Later in the summer, he verbally committed to the University of Houston football program. But after this past football season, the Houston coach, Art Briles, took the Baylor job. Not long after, Griffin changed his verbal commitment to Baylor. Then he completed his graduation requirements at Copperas Cove and enrolled at Baylor.
While Griffin may not yet have achieved such “all-time great” status on the gridiron, he certainly compiled impressive prep stats and has a bright future. The Baylor web site says the 6-3, 195-pound Griffin is rated as the nation's No. 3 dual-threat quarterback by Rivals.com. He reportedly rushed for 1,285 yards and 24 touchdowns while passing for 1,356 yards and 16 touchdowns in his Bulldawg team to a 13-2 record and a runner-up finish in the Class 4A Division I playoffs. In his final two seasons, Griffin reportedly rushed for 2,161 yards and 32 touchdowns and threw for 3,357 yards and 41 scores with just nine interceptions.
If there’s any coach, though, who will fail to be deterred by having to “share” an athlete with a football program, it’s probably Coach Harbour. He is best known for running a 3:50.34 mile while he himself was at Baylor in 1981 – STILL the fastest-ever by an American collegian. But how many people know that Harbour coached high school football for six years before he returned to Baylor, and won 51 games and numerous coach of the year honors for Riesel, a Texas 2A school?
Prep fans who would have wanted to see, say, a Griffin-William Wynne race at 400H, will mourn the fact he’s left early. But prep track’s loss is Baylor’s and NCAA’s track gain.
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