| Dallas Griffin |
|
|
Center
6-4 · 285
Katy, Texas (Taylor)
#67
· 2007 season highlights video
A bright and talented fifth-year player who was awarded the 2007 Draddy Trophy, which recognizes an individual as the absolute best in the country for his combined academic success, football performance and exemplary community leadership ... earned first-team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America honors in 2007 ... also named to the preseason Playboy All-America team as the Anson Mount Scholar/Athlete, which has honored the nation's premiere student-athlete in football since 1987 ... listed as the nation's fifth-best senior center by Mel Kiper Jr. ... played in 32 games, starting 10, at center during his career ... started the first 10 games of 2007 before suffering a season-ending knee injury ... named honorable mention All-Big 12 by The Associated Press and the league's coaches ... appeared in eight games as the backup center in 2006 ... played in 10 games as the primary backup at center in 2005 ... competed for the backup center job in 2004 and played in four games ... gained valuable experience working at center as a redshirt in 2003 ... a four-time first-team Academic All-Big 12 selection ... a 10-time member of UT's Athletics Director's Honor Roll ... posted a perfect 4.0 GPA six times ... graduated with a degree in honors business, majoring in finance, in spring 2007 ... began coursework in UT's prestigous Red McCombs MBA Program this fall.
SENIOR (2007)
Started the first 10 games of the season at center before suffering a season-ending knee injury at Oklahoma State ... tabbed the winner of the Draddy Trophy, which recognizes an individual as the absolute best in the country for his combined academic success, football performance and exemplary community leadership ... earned first-team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America and Academic All-District 6 honors ... a first-team Academic All-Big 12 selection ... also named to the preseason Playboy All-America team as the Anson Mount Scholar/Athlete, which has honored the nation's premiere student-athlete in football since 1987 ... named honorable mention All-Big 12 by The Associated Press and the league's coaches ... voted captain by his teammates ... earned UT's Lan Hewlett Academic Award, one of the D. Harold Byrd Leadership Awards and was named one of UT's Outstanding Offensive Linemen ... helped Texas average 462.9 yards of total offense (12th NCAA), 207.5 yards rushing (16th NCAA) and 37.2 points per game (13th NCAA) ... led Texas to nine games of at least 400 yards and five games of at least 500 yards ... also allowed UT to score at least 30 points in nine of the 13 games ... anchored a line that helped RB Jamaal Charles gain 1,619 rushing yards (No. 5 on UT's single-season rushing list) ... cleared the way for 415 total yards (176 rushing) versus No. 19 TCU ... the 176 yards rushing were the most TCU had allowed in its previous 17 games ... also helped UT not allow a sack against a TCU defense that had recorded 30 sacks over its previous nine games ... paved the way for 229 yards on the ground and 488 total yards of offense at UCF ... helped Texas' offense gain 333 yards through the air and 227 yards on the ground for a total of 560 yards of offense versus Rice ... helped the offense produce a balanced 298 yards passing and 216 yards rushing for a total of 514 yards of offense in a victory at Iowa State ... led Texas to 470 yards of total offense and 177 rushing yards at Baylor ... cleared the way for 364 yards rushing and 545 yards of total offense against Nebraska ... also paved the way for Charles' school-record 219 rushing yards in the fourth quarter against the Huskers.
JUNIOR (2006)
Appeared in eight games as the primary backup at center ... tabbed a first-team Academic All-Big 12 honoree ... earned one of UT's Lan Hewlett Academic Awards ... named one of the Lowe's Most Improved Offensive Players ... helped Texas gain 162.6 rushing yards per game (34th NCAA), 391.5 total yards per game (23rd NCAA) and score 35.9 points per game (seventh NCAA) ... paved the way for 212 yards on the ground and 410 total yards in the season opener against North Texas ... cleared the way for 330 rushing yards and 493 total yards in a victory against Rice ... allowed Texas' offense to produce a balanced 246 yards passing and 193 yards rushing for a total of 439 yards of offense against Iowa State ... gave the quarterbacks time to register 300 yards passing and 419 total yards versus Sam Houston State ... allowed Texas' offense to produce 124 rushing yards and 108 yards passing versus No. 14 Oklahoma ... helped Texas accumulate 164 yards rushing and 346 yards passing (510 total) against Oklahoma State ... paved the way for Texas to rush for 143 yards and throw for 241, while posting 42 points, at the Kansas State ... gave Texas time to throw for 308 yards in an Alamo Bowl victory over Iowa.
SOPHOMORE (2005)
Played in 10 games as the backup center ... tabbed a first-team Academic All-Big 12 honoree ... helped Texas rank first in the nation in scoring offense (50.2 ppg), second in rushing offense (274.9 ypg) and third in total offense (512.1 ypg) ... cleared the way for Texas to set school single-season records in both points scored (652) and total yards (6,657) ... Texas' 652 points broke the 22-year old NCAA record of 624 points set by Nebraska in 1983 ... UT's 50.2 points per game average marked only the fifth time in NCAA history that a team finished the year averaging over 50 points per game ... Texas was the first team since Nebraska in 1995 to score 50 points and post 500 yards per game in a season ... Texas' 3,574 rushing yards were the fourth-most in school history ... UT's six 300-yard games matched its total last season, which was the most since 1977 ... helped Texas produce 600 yards of total offense in a school-record three games ... opened the season by blocking for 591 total yards, including 418 rushing yards, against La.-Lafayette ... cleared the way for 361 rushing yards en route to 483 total yards in a victory over Rice ... helped Texas clear 300-yards rushing for the second consecutive game with 349 on the way to 585 yards of total offense at Missouri ... allowed Texas' offense to produce a balanced 241 yards passing and 203 yards rushing (444 total yards) against a fifth-ranked Oklahoma defense that is only allowing 91.2 yards rushing and 304.8 total yards per game ... Texas then followed with 482 total yards against No. 24 Colorado, which entered the game ranked 19th nationally (300.0 ypg) ... cleared the way for UT to post 444 yards of total offense and 52 points against a Texas Tech defense that is only giving up 328.2 yards and 19.4 points per game ... helped Texas post its first of three consecutive games of 600-plus yards with 606 total yards, including 367 rushing yards, at Oklahoma State ... followed with UT's fifth-best offensive output in gaining 645 yards, including 347 rushing yards, and posting 62 points against a Baylor defense that was only giving up 333.8 yards and 20.5 points per game ... Texas continued with 617 yards, including 336 rushing yards, against Kansas' top-ranked rushing defense (64.1 ypg) ... the two-game total of 1,251 yards was the second-most in UT history ... helped produce a Big 12 Championship record 70 points in amassing 486 total yards and blocking for six rushing TDs.
REDSHIRT FRESHMAN (2004)
Played in four games in 2004 as a backup center ... tabbed a first-team Academic All-Big 12 honoree ... part of a line that cleared the way for Texas to rank second in the nation in rushing (299.2 ypg), seventh in total offense (464.4 ypg) and 12th in scoring (35.3 ppg) ... helped block for 673 yards of total offense (No. 3 on the UT all-time list), including 513 yards rushing (No. 7 on the UT all-time list), versus North Texas ... helped clear the way for 525 total yards against Rice, including 339 on the ground ... helped produce another 507 yards versus Baylor with 303 rushing yards ... helped clear 300 yards rushing with 326 and pushed through four TDs on the ground at Colorado ... redshirted in 2003.
HIGH SCHOOL
Coached by Bill Lane at Taylor H.S. ... three-year starter at center who was a team captain as a senior ... a third-team all-state (5A) and first-team All-Greater Houston and all-district selection in 2002 ... recorded 38 pancake blocks and allowed just one sack that year ... a second-team all-district selection as a junior ... also a three-year member of the track & field squad (discus & shot put) ... captured the 2003 Texas 5A Championship in the shot put (60-10 1/4) and placed third in the discus (180-3) ...had the second-best shot put mark in the state as a senior (61-5) ...won the 2002 Texas 5A discus title (186-0) and finished third in the shot (57-1 3/4).
PERSONAL
Born 3/27/85 in Houston, Texas ... full name is Dallas Christian Griffin ... graduated with a double major of Business Honors and Finance in Spring 2007 ... is currently enrolled in UT's prestigious MBA program at the Red McCombs School of Business ... four-time first-team Academic All-Big 12 selection ... a 10-time member of UT's Athletics Director's Honor Roll ... maintained a 3.875 GPA as an undergrad ... posted a perfect 4.0 GPA six times ... twice earned UT's Provost Award (2004, 2005) for posting a 4.0 GPA during the academic year ... recorded a 700 (out of 800) on the GMAT (admissions test for MBA programs) and ranked in the 92nd percentile with that score ... is the recipient of the C.R. (Smilo) Mallison Endowed Presidential Scholarship ... was a member of the Dikolli Accounting Honor Roll (Spring 2005) ... spent the summer of 2005 interning at NFL Hall of Famer Roger Staubach's real estate company (The Staubach Company) ... spent the summer of 2006 working for an Austin hedge fund ... is a member of UT's Financial Analyst Program where he assists MBA students in the management of a $15 million investment fund ... active in UT's community service program ... is part of a group of Longhorns that regularly visits patients at the Austin Children's Hospital ... volunteered answering calls and taking donations at the Children's Miracle Network telethon ... a prep honors student who was an academic all-state selection ... also a member of National Honor Society ... very active in community service projects in his hometown of Katy ... served as a volunteer at Willow River Farms and Project Gingersnap (assisting the mentally challenged) ... has volunteered to speak to students at his former elementary school (Nottingham Country Elementary) and middle school (Angleton Middle School) the past two years ... also an Eagle Scout and a member of the National Eagle Scout Association ... brother, Garrett, currently attends UT and has a perfect 4.0 GPA ... likes to hunt, fish and watch movies in his free time.
