Football great lives up to the legend

You can’t be disappointed by a photo.

I don’t know how many of you watched the NBC comedy “Community” from a few years ago, but there’s a scene from that show where a character, Troy, is forced to meet his idol, “Reading Rainbow” star LeVar Burton (don’t ask).

Troy is terrified, and his reasoning is the lede of this column. A photo of someone you admire lasts forever, while meeting them may shatter whatever persona you’ve painted for them in your head. It’s a hilarious episode, but a poignant point.

I thought of that scene on March 6 when I, a massive college football fan, was able to chat with Archie Griffin at his namesake golf tournament at Concession Golf Club in Bradenton. Over its eight years, the Archie Griffin Celebrity Golf Classic has raised more than $800,000 for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Sarasota County.

This year, the tournament featured big names like Jim Brown, Eddie George and Joey Galloway, and Lakewood Ranch’s own Austin Reiter.

The star of the show was still the 63-year-old Griffin, who lives these days in Lakewood Ranch's Esplanade. The only two-time Heisman trophy winner (1974, 1975) in history, Griffin is someone I was thrilled to chat with, even if it was about golf and not football. I had heard he was the most genial man in sports, making me ripe for disappointment, but I shouldn’t have worried. Griffin was as welcoming as they come.

Just like the photo.

For Griffin, the tournament is a means of “paying it forward,” something taught to him by former Ohio State University coach Woody Hayes, who learned it from Ralph Waldo Emerson’s essay, “Compensation.” For the unaware like myself, Emerson surmised that each person is compensated in a similar fashion that they contributed to society. I didn’t expect to talk philosophy with Griffin, but the surprise was welcome.

It turns out Griffin isn’t the natural at golf he was on the gridiron. He said he started playing as an adult, after his football career was finished. Former NFLers tried multiple times to get him to play previously, but Griffin always declined because he had no experience. Eventually he gave in (he doesn’t remember exactly when), and over time has taught himself the game. Griffin said he’s not once taken a lesson from a golf pro.

He admits he isn’t the best (his handicap is approximately 14) but he plays as often as he can because, in his mind, there’s nothing better than being outside, surrounded by gorgeous views and good company. I know there are a lot of people who are nervous about learning to golf  — like I was — so I asked Griffin what tips he would give newbies.

“I try to be patient with the swing,” he said. “For the most part I am, but sometimes you jump at the ball. You want to smooth that swing out. All that stuff has to come together at the same time to be successful. That’s what’s hard about the game, doing all that consistently.

“I would encourage people to get involved in the game. The benefits you receive from it are getting out with people, having fun, beautiful surroundings … You can’t beat that.”