Spokesperson

All his life, Archie aspired to be like his three older brothers who were successful high school and collegiate football players. He grew up the fourth of eight children. His father worked three jobs to support the family, and his mother had the tremendous responsibility of running the household.

Desire, dedication and determination are three words often associated with Archie. When he was 12 years old and playing little league football, Archie found himself over the 135-pound weight limit of the league. Rather than quit football until high school, Archie began a weight loss program, albeit, a slightly unconventional one. He converted the bathroom into a sauna, turning on all the hot water, and doing jumping jacks in the steam. He also worked up a good sweat by wearing plastic dry cleaning bags under his clothes when he ran or played basketball. He lost weight, continued playing football, and made the league's all-star team.

When he reached high school, Archie wondered what it would take for him to start on the varsity team, and he posed the question to then Eastmoor High School varsity football Coach Bob Stuart. The coach told Archie if he kept working hard, he would share playing time with a senior player–which is exactly what happened Archie's sophomore year. Archie developed into an outstanding player. He made the All-City and All-District Teams his junior and senior years and was named to the Sunkist All-American Team his senior year. His playing skills caught the attention of several college coaches, including legendary Ohio State football coach, Woody Hayes. Archie reflected, "Coach Hayes cared about people. I remember the first time I had dinner with him during the recruiting process.”

“He didn't once mention football. When I went home that evening, I told my father what had happened and how puzzled and disappointed I was. I figured Coach wasn't interested in me. My father put it all in perspective by saying, 'Don't you think he is concerned about you as a person, and not just as someone who is going to get out on the field and run for a lot of yards or score touchdowns for him?'" In the fall of 1972, Archie enrolled in The Ohio State University.

While playing football for Ohio State, Archie won virtually all of the top honors any single athlete could win in college football. He was a three-time All American in 1973, 1974 and 1975, and broke nearly all of the Ohio State rushing records at the time.

Little did Archie know when he was a timid freshman how his football career would develop. During the first game of the 1972 football season. Ohio State played the University of Iowa. By the fourth quarter, the Buckeyes were beating the Hawkeyes pretty handily so Coach Hayes let a few of the freshman play, including Archie. Unfortunately, when he was handed the ball on his first play, Archie fumbled it and was taken immediately out of the game. He remembers thinking he had probably blown a tremendous opportunity. The night before the next game against the University of North Carolina, Archie prayed that he would be given another chance. His prayers were heard. The next day, during the first quarter of the game, Archie's number was called and he ran onto the field, astonished that he had a second chance. Two-and-a-half quarters later, he ran off the field to the cheers of 86,000 fans packed into Ohio Stadium. He had rushed for 239 yards and set a new Ohio State record that day.

He went on to accomplish what many others could only dream of doing. He is the only two-time winner of the Heisman trophy, which symbolizes "The Outstanding College Football Player of the Country." He was also the second athlete in history to win "Most Valuable Player in the Big Ten" for two straight years. He holds another rare distinction in that he was voted team captain two years in a row by his teammates.

Graduating a quarter early, Archie was chosen in the first round of the 1976 National Football League (NFL) draft by the Cincinnati Bengals. He played eight years with the franchise and was ranked among the top NFL rushers. Then, during the 1983 preseason, Archie suffered an injury that kept him out of commission for the entire season, and his contract wasn't renewed. Archie faced the prospect that his football career might be over. The following year, he played for the Jacksonville Bulls of the United States Football League, but his injury still bothered him and he knew it was time to leave the game–forever.

Archie returned to his alma mater in 1984, not as a player, but as a university employee. He became the assistant director of staff employment before working in the athletic department as a special assistant to the director of athletics. He was named assistant director of athletics in 1987, and in April 1994 was promoted to the position of associate director of athletics. In January 2004, he became President and CEO of The Ohio State University Alumni Association.

Archie is community-minded and is a member of the boards of directors of many local organizations, including The Buckeye Ranch; Central Ohio Lung Association; Ernie Godfrey Chapter, National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame; the NFL Players Advisory Council; and The Lakes Golf and Country Club.