Robert Griffith
Encyclopedia
Robert Otis Griffith (born November 30, 1970 in Lanham, Maryland
) is a former American football
strong safety in the National Football League
. He played thirteen seasons in the league, mostly for the Minnesota Vikings
from 1994
to 2001
. He also played three seasons with the Cleveland Browns
, and two seasons with the Arizona Cardinals
, In 2008 he retired as a member of the Minnesota Vikings
. Robert also served as an Executive Member of the NFLPA (National Football League Player's Association) for six years. Currently Griff is CEO and Chairman of Matador Enterprises Inc., owner of Nico's Steakhouse in Chula Vista, CA, and Director of Pro Personnel for the UFL
(United Football League) Sacramento Mountain Lions.
and track at Mount Miguel High School
in Spring Valley, California (near San Diego
) where he earned All-CIF
honors. Griffith played college football
at San Diego State University
where one of his teammates was future St Louis Rams running back
Marshall Faulk
. Griff walked on to the SDSU football team as an undersized cornerback, but quickly became an indispensable member of the team. He started 3 seasons and was the heralded defensive team captain. He was a second-team All-WAC
selection in 1992. Robert also earned is Electrical Engineering degree in 1994. After going undrafted
in the 1994 NFL Draft
, Griffith signed with the Vikings as a undrafted free agent.
playing for the Goldminers
. Soon after, Robert had the opportunity to play in the NFL and joined the Minnesota Vikings
. In his first two seasons, he was mostly used as a backup and as a special teams player before having a breakthrough year in the 1996 season
. That season he made four interceptions for 66 yards, and made 96 tackles. He was named All-Pro by Pro Football Weekly
, and was second team Associated Press
All-Pro in the 1998 season
after having a career high of five interceptions, finishing fifth in the NFC
. He made the Pro Bowl
after the 1999 season after starting in all sixteen games, making three interception and 129 tackles. Robert broke their long-standing special team record for 29 tackles. After eight seasons with the Vikings, Griffth signed a free agent contract with the Browns during the 2002 offseason
, where he became one of the most experienced members in a young defense. He started in 44 games with the Browns earning six interceptions and 408 tackles in his three seasons. He led them in tackles with 157 in the 2004 season
. He was released on February 27, 2005 by then recently hired head coach
, Romeo Crennel
, who was trying to rebuild the franchise following a 4-12 season. He then signed a two year contract with the Cardinals, where he started his last season and was active in all sixteen games, making 66 tackles and one interception for eleven yards. On March 2, 2007, he was cut by the Cardinals. In 2008 he signed a contract to retire as a member of the Minnesota Vikings
. Robert was also a 3 time All-Madden Selection, earned the 1999 Ed Block Courage and NFLPA Unsung Hero Awards, Byron “Whizzer” White Award
, NFL Special Effort Awards and the 2000 Minnesota Man of the Year Award.
He has modeled for Bad Boy clothing in an ad that appeared in Rolling Stone
, Vibe and The Source
magazines and appeared in Sports Illustrated for Women
2000 Swimsuit Issue. Griffith began the Robert Griffith Foundation during the 1998 offseason which provides college scholarships for at risk and disadvantaged youth in San Diego. Griffith also co-hosts on Laslavic's weekly show called "Football Night in San Diego" on San Diego's NBC Channel 7 with former NFL Linebacker Akbar Gbaja-Biamila
and Jim Laslavic
Currently Griff is Director of Pro Personnel for the UFL
(United Football League) Sacramento Mountain Lions, a team that includes Head Coach Dennis Green
and starting quarterback Daunte Culpepper
.
, Xavier
, University of Michigan
and Stanford to name a few. To continue the success of this project, Robert also initiated the Viking Challenge which targets k-6th graders and challenges them in 5 core areas of success: responsibility, non-violence, academic improvement, drug and alcohol abstinence. Each participating student signs a contract to commit to improving in these areas and, if accomplished, receives recognition and is awarded admission to a Viking Home Game. To this day, the program has been highly beneficial to the schools, children and community with clearly positive results.
with his wife Amethyst. An avid Cyclist, Robert also engages in the martial art form, Tae-Kwan-Do, which provides physical, mental and spiritual conditioning. Robert is also well traveled and has spent much time in the Americas and Europe for both business and pleasure.
Lanham, Maryland
Lanham is an unincorporated community in Prince George's County in the State of Maryland in the United States of America. Because it is not formally incorporated, it has no official boundaries, but the United States Census Bureau has defined a census-designated place consisting of Lanham and the...
) is a former American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
strong safety in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. He played thirteen seasons in the league, mostly for the Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
from 1994
1994 Minnesota Vikings season
-Awards and honors:* Cris Carter, Led NFL in receptions* Cris Carter, All-Pro selection* Cris Carter, Pro Bowl selection* Warren Moon, Pro Bowl Selection 1994* Warren Moon, NFL Leader, Passing Yards, -Milestones:...
to 2001
2001 Minnesota Vikings season
2001 was the 41st year of season play for the Minnesota Vikings and the 82nd regular season of the National Football League.Tragedy struck the Minnesota Vikings in the summer of 2001, when Offensive Lineman Korey Stringer died of heat stroke in training camp in Mankato, Minnesota...
. He also played three seasons with the Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, and two seasons with the Arizona Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
, In 2008 he retired as a member of the Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
. Robert also served as an Executive Member of the NFLPA (National Football League Player's Association) for six years. Currently Griff is CEO and Chairman of Matador Enterprises Inc., owner of Nico's Steakhouse in Chula Vista, CA, and Director of Pro Personnel for the UFL
UFL
UFL or UFl may refer to:Chemistry:* Upper flammable limit, the flammability limit describing the richest flammable mixture of a combustible gasColleges and universities:...
(United Football League) Sacramento Mountain Lions.
High school and college
Griffith played high school footballHigh school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
and track at Mount Miguel High School
Mount Miguel High School
Mount Miguel High School is a public, comprehensive high school located in Spring Valley, California and serves over 2,000 students in grades nine through twelve. Opened in 1957, Mount Miguel is the fourth of twelve high schools constructed in the Grossmont Union High School District...
in Spring Valley, California (near San Diego
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
) where he earned All-CIF
California Interscholastic Federation
The California Interscholastic Federation is the governing body for high school sports in the state of California. It mirrors similar governing bodies in other states; however, it differs from some of the others in that it covers most high schools in the state of California, both public and...
honors. Griffith played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at San Diego State University
San Diego State University
San Diego State University , founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, is the largest and oldest higher education facility in the greater San Diego area , and is part of the California State University system...
where one of his teammates was future St Louis Rams running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
Marshall Faulk
Marshall Faulk
Marshall William Faulk is a former American football running back who played in the National Football League. He is currently an analyst for NFL Total Access, Thursday Night Football, and NFL GameDay Morning on the NFL Network...
. Griff walked on to the SDSU football team as an undersized cornerback, but quickly became an indispensable member of the team. He started 3 seasons and was the heralded defensive team captain. He was a second-team All-WAC
Western Athletic Conference
The Western Athletic Conference is an American collegiate athletic conference, which was formed on July 27, 1962, making it the sixth oldest of the 11 college athletic conferences currently participating in the NCAA's Division I FBS...
selection in 1992. Robert also earned is Electrical Engineering degree in 1994. After going undrafted
Undrafted
An undrafted sportsperson or undrafted free agent is specific type of sportsperson who plays, or attempts to play, in a professional sports league without first being selected in a draft....
in the 1994 NFL Draft
1994 NFL Draft
The 1994 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 24-25, 1994. The league also held a supplemental draft after the regular draft and...
, Griffith signed with the Vikings as a undrafted free agent.
NFL and pro football career
After college, Robert had a brief stint in the Canadian Football LeagueCanadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
playing for the Goldminers
Sacramento Gold Miners
The Sacramento Gold Miners were a Canadian football team based in Sacramento, California. The franchise was the first American team in the Canadian Football League. The Gold Miners were originally the "descendants" of the Sacramento Surge from the defunct World League of American Football...
. Soon after, Robert had the opportunity to play in the NFL and joined the Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
. In his first two seasons, he was mostly used as a backup and as a special teams player before having a breakthrough year in the 1996 season
1996 Minnesota Vikings season
1996 was the 36th year of season play for the Minnesota Vikings and the 77th regular season of the National Football League. The Vikings finished with a record of nine wins and seven losses.DraftRound 1 - Duane Clemons - LB - California...
. That season he made four interceptions for 66 yards, and made 96 tackles. He was named All-Pro by Pro Football Weekly
Pro Football Weekly
Pro Football Weekly is an American sports magazine, founded in 1967, that covers the National Football League...
, and was second team Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
All-Pro in the 1998 season
1998 NFL season
The 1998 NFL season was the 79th regular season of the National Football League.The Tennessee Oilers moved their home games from Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis to Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville, still awaiting construction on a new stadium in Nashville.This was the first season that CBS...
after having a career high of five interceptions, finishing fifth in the NFC
National Football Conference
The National Football Conference is one of the two conferences of the National Football League . This conference and its counterpart, the American Football Conference , currently contain 16 teams each, making up the 32 teams of the NFL.-Current teams:Since 2002, the NFC has comprised 16 teams,...
. He made the Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
after the 1999 season after starting in all sixteen games, making three interception and 129 tackles. Robert broke their long-standing special team record for 29 tackles. After eight seasons with the Vikings, Griffth signed a free agent contract with the Browns during the 2002 offseason
2002 NFL season
The 2002 NFL season was the 83rd regular season of the National Football League.The league went back to an even number of teams, expanding to 32 teams with the addition of the Houston Texans. The clubs were then realigned into eight divisions, four teams in each...
, where he became one of the most experienced members in a young defense. He started in 44 games with the Browns earning six interceptions and 408 tackles in his three seasons. He led them in tackles with 157 in the 2004 season
2004 NFL season
The 2004 NFL season was the 85th regular season of the National Football League.With the New England Patriots as the defending league champions, regular season play was held from September 9, 2004 to January 2, 2005...
. He was released on February 27, 2005 by then recently hired head coach
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
, Romeo Crennel
Romeo Crennel
Romeo Crennel is the former head coach of the Cleveland Browns and current defensive coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League. Before becoming the head coach of the Browns, Crennel won three Super Bowls in four seasons as the defensive coordinator of the New England...
, who was trying to rebuild the franchise following a 4-12 season. He then signed a two year contract with the Cardinals, where he started his last season and was active in all sixteen games, making 66 tackles and one interception for eleven yards. On March 2, 2007, he was cut by the Cardinals. In 2008 he signed a contract to retire as a member of the Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
. Robert was also a 3 time All-Madden Selection, earned the 1999 Ed Block Courage and NFLPA Unsung Hero Awards, Byron “Whizzer” White Award
"Whizzer" White NFL Man of the Year Award
The Byron "Whizzer" White NFL Man of the Year Award has been awarded by the National Football League Players Association continuously since 1966. The most recent winner, for the 2010 season, is Tony Richardson of the New York Jets...
, NFL Special Effort Awards and the 2000 Minnesota Man of the Year Award.
He has modeled for Bad Boy clothing in an ad that appeared in Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
, Vibe and The Source
The Source (magazine)
The Source is a United States-based, monthly full-color magazine covering hip-hop music, politics, and culture, founded in 1988. It is the world's second longest running rap periodical, behind United Kingdom-based publication Hip Hop Connection. The Source was founded as a newsletter in 1988...
magazines and appeared in Sports Illustrated for Women
Sports Illustrated for Women
Sports Illustrated Women and also known as SI Women, was a bimonthly sports magazine covering "the sports that women play and what they want to follow, from basketball to tennis, soccer to volleyball, field hockey to ice hockey and figure skating and more...
2000 Swimsuit Issue. Griffith began the Robert Griffith Foundation during the 1998 offseason which provides college scholarships for at risk and disadvantaged youth in San Diego. Griffith also co-hosts on Laslavic's weekly show called "Football Night in San Diego" on San Diego's NBC Channel 7 with former NFL Linebacker Akbar Gbaja-Biamila
Akbar Gbaja-Biamila
Akbar Oluwakemi-Idowu Gbaja-Biamila is an American football linebacker who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Oakland Raiders as an undrafted free agent in 2003. He played college football at San Diego State. He currently works for NBC Sports as a college football analyst, previously...
and Jim Laslavic
Jim Laslavic
Jim Laslavic is a former American Football linebacker who played ten seasons in the National Football League. He is currently a sportscaster for KNSD in San Diego and a Radio announcer for KIOZ. He lives in Coronado, California with his wife, Susan, and two kids, Hayley and James. Laslavic is a...
Currently Griff is Director of Pro Personnel for the UFL
UFL
UFL or UFl may refer to:Chemistry:* Upper flammable limit, the flammability limit describing the richest flammable mixture of a combustible gasColleges and universities:...
(United Football League) Sacramento Mountain Lions, a team that includes Head Coach Dennis Green
Dennis Green
Dennis "Denny" Green is an American football head coach for the Sacramento Mountain Lions of the United Football League...
and starting quarterback Daunte Culpepper
Daunte Culpepper
Daunte Rachard Culpepper is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He last played for the Sacramento Mountain Lions of the United Football League . Prior to joining the UFL, Culpepper enjoyed a successful National Football League career after being drafted 11th overall in...
.
Philanthropy
In 1998, he founded the Robert Griffith Foundation, a highly successful program which provided college scholarships to underprivileged high school seniors. Effectively to date the foundation has sponsored 26 graduates from colleges across the US including West PointUnited States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
, Xavier
Xavier
Most uses of Xavier are directly or indirectly derived from St. Francis Xavier and are therefore likely to have a Catholic connotation. It may refer to:* The given name Xavier* The surname Xavier* Xavier , the ring name of pro wrestler John Jirus...
, University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
and Stanford to name a few. To continue the success of this project, Robert also initiated the Viking Challenge which targets k-6th graders and challenges them in 5 core areas of success: responsibility, non-violence, academic improvement, drug and alcohol abstinence. Each participating student signs a contract to commit to improving in these areas and, if accomplished, receives recognition and is awarded admission to a Viking Home Game. To this day, the program has been highly beneficial to the schools, children and community with clearly positive results.
Personal life
Today, Robert resides in Rancho Santa Fe, CaliforniaRancho Santa Fe, California
Rancho Santa Fe known locally as ″The Ranch″, is one of the most exclusive and affluent communities in Southern California. It is also a census-designated place in San Diego County, California and an unincorporated bedroom community of San Diego County...
with his wife Amethyst. An avid Cyclist, Robert also engages in the martial art form, Tae-Kwan-Do, which provides physical, mental and spiritual conditioning. Robert is also well traveled and has spent much time in the Americas and Europe for both business and pleasure.