Playing Career
Born in Iowa City, Iowa, Griffith was a four-time college football letter winner for the University of Iowa from 1897 to 1900. Griffith, a fullback, played for some of the greatest teams in Iowa football history.
Against Illinois in 1899, Griffith returned a punt 85 yards as Iowa won, 58–0, to cap an undefeated season. After the game, referee R. T. Hoagland of Princeton said, "The dodging run of Griffith down the field for a touchdown was the best piece of individual playing that I ever saw. The men (of the 1899 Hawkeyes) are all stars; they make the best team I ever saw."
In Iowa's first year in the Western Conference (now known as the Big Ten) in 1900, Griffith was named Iowa's team captain. The team won the Western Conference title in Iowa's first year in the league. Iowa had to settle for a controversial 5–5 tie against Northwestern in Griffith's final game at Iowa. The entire team except Griffith ate a bad batch of creamed potatoes and got food poisoning the day before the game.
Still, Griffith did not suffer a defeat in his final twenty games as a player at Iowa, going 17–0–3. His last collegiate loss was late in his sophomore season.
Read more about this topic: John G. Griffith
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