Top Ten Moments of 2011: 7. RG III Wins Heisman

Merry Christmas from our family to yours. We hope you're enjoying this fine Sunday with your family and friends. Unlike Thanksgiving, Christmas is dominated by professional basketball rather than football. That being said, the Bears and Packers play later tonight in what should be a classic Christmas Day game. We are continuing our countdown of the best moments of 2011 and our list travels south to Waco, Texas to honor Baylor Quarterback Robert Griffin III, a class act worthy of being honored on this Christmas Day. Again, we wish you and your family a Merry Christmas and safe travel as we enter 2012. Cheers!

In a year of dominant college quarterbacks, including Stanford's Andrew Luck, Oklahoma State's Brandon Weeden, and Houston's Case Keenum, one stood above the rest as the best quarterback in 2011: Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III. Not only was he the top quarterback in 2011, Griffin also won the Heisman Trophy earlier this month, the award given to the nation's most outstanding player. Although many criticized the Heisman committee's decision to award Griffin with the honor, he let his performance on the field do the talking, as he threw for 3998 yards and 36 touchdowns and ran for 644 yards and 9 touchdowns in 12 games. Griffin led a good, not great, Baylor team to a 9-3 record, good enough for 3rd place in the Big 12 and a bid in the Alamo Bowl.

Not a serious Heisman candidate before the season, Griffin needed a "welcome to the party" game to get his name in the Heisman discussion. It didn't take long for him to have one of those games. Griffin shined as he led Baylor to a thrilling 50-48 victory over defending Rose Bowl champions TCU. Griffin threw for 359 yards and 5 touchdowns on the Friday night game that was watched by almost every college football fan. After three mid-season losses, Griffin's Heisman stock was falling fast and it didn't look like his Baylor Bears had enough to help him get over the edge. This all changed on November 19th when the Bears played the No. 5 Oklahoma Sooners. Griffin was clutch in the back-and-forth contest, throwing for 479 yards and 4 touchdowns. Griffin's touchdown pass with 8 seconds left gave the Bears the 45-38 upset that shocked the college football world.


Besides his rocket arm and excellent running ability, Griffin's best quality might be his humbleness. Griffin used his Heisman acceptance speech to thank his teammates, family, and God without giving any credit to himself and his work ethic. Griffin is a testament to what hard work and faith can lead to in life and should be a role model for young athletes everywhere. We wish Robert Griffin III the best of luck in his future endeavors, whether that includes being drafted in the first round or winning back-to-back Heisman Trophies.