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| Position: | Fullback | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born: | (1968-11-17)November 17, 1968 (age 56) Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 230 lb (104 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school: | Julian (Chicago, Illinois) | ||||||||||||
| College: | Illinois | ||||||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1991: 9th round, 236th pick | ||||||||||||
| Expansion draft: | 1995: 8th round, 16th pick | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
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| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
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Howard Griffith (born November 17, 1968) is an American former professionalfootball player who was afullback for 11 seasons in theNational Football League (NFL) from 1991 to 2001.
Raised in Chicago, Griffith attended now defunct Mendel Catholic Prep High School of theChicago Catholic League until his sophomore year. For his junior year, he transferred toJulian High School, where he was an All-City performer.
While playingcollege football for theIllinois Fighting Illini, Griffith set theNCAA single-game record fortouchdowns with eight. It occurred on September 22, 1990, againstSouthern Illinois University in a 56–21 Illinois win.[1]
Griffith was selected in the ninth round of the1991 NFL draft by theIndianapolis Colts, but never played a regular-season game for the Colts.[2] Griffith made hisNFL debut with theLos Angeles Rams in1993. He played two seasons with the Rams, and then played two seasons with theCarolina Panthers after being selected in the1995 NFL Expansion Draft.[3]
In1997, Griffith joined theDenver Broncos, and played five seasons for the Broncos primarily as a blocking back forTerrell Davis. He didn't get very many rushing attempts, but was often used as a receiver out of the backfield, recording 27 receptions in 1996 and 26 in 1999. With the Broncos, Griffith won twoSuper Bowl rings inSuper Bowl XXXII andSuper Bowl XXXIII. Griffith was a big contributor in the Broncos Super Bowl XXXIII win, scoring two rushing touchdowns in the game. He also made a key 23-yard reception in the final quarter of Super Bowl XXXII, setting up Denver's final touchdown of the game. While playing for the Broncos, Howard earned the nickname "the Human Plow" due to his successful blocking for Davis.
Griffith retired from the NFL at the start of the 2002 season, due to a neck injury sustained in the 2001 preseason that caused him to miss the entire 2001 campaign. His final totals over his 11 NFL seasons include 351 rushing yards and three touchdowns, along with 122 receptions for 844 yards and nine touchdowns.
Today, Griffith works as a football analyst. He is one of the lead in-studio analysts for theBig Ten Network, giving his weekly analysis of Big 10 football. In 2005, he was an analyst for the NFL and NFL Europe football leagues, as he commentated games that were broadcast byFox and the NFL Networks. He is the author of the 2001 bookLaying it on the Line.[citation needed]
His son Houston committed toNotre Dame in 2018.[citation needed]