Willie Griffin Season 1986

Honors & Awards

• First-Team All-Big Eight (AP, UPI, Coaches, 1988)

1988 (Senior)
In his only full season at defensive tackle, Willie Griffin provided a dominant presence up front for the Blackshirts to earn first-team All-Big Eight honors for Nebraska. The 6-3, 275-pounder started 10 regular-season games and the Orange Bowl at left defensive tackle for the Big Red, finishing the season with 47 tackles, including 33 solos. He notched seven TFLs for 21 yards lost, including four sacks for 18 yards. An explosive playmaker, Griffin added 10 quarterback hurries including two interceptions caused. He also recovered a pair of fumbles and added two pass breakups. In Nebraska’s 7-3 win over Oklahoma to win the Big Eight title, Griffin registered six tackles, including a bone-crushing de-cleating hit of Sooner fullback Leon Perry. The Huskers held OU to just 137 yards of total offense.

A three-year letterwinner, Griffin totaled 50 tackles in his two seasons on the defensive line, including 35 solos. He added four unassisted tackles against Miami in the 1989 Orange Bowl. He also caught three passes for 42 yards, including a one-yard touchdown, as a sophomore tight end for the Big Red in 1986.

1987 (Junior)
Griffin lettered as a reserve middle guard as a junior for the Husker defense in 1987. He moved from tight end to defensive tackle in the spring of 1987 before switching to middle guard in the fall. Griffin played eight regular-season games on the defensive line and recorded three tackles, including two solos. He helped the Huskers to a 10-2 overall record that include a trip to the 1988 Sunkist Fiesta Bowl against Florida State. Nebraska ranked sixth nationally in scoring defense (12.1 ppg) and eighth in total defense (264.7 ypg).

1986 (Sophomore)
Griffin earned his first varsity letter as a tight end for the Big Red in 1986. He played in nine regular-season games and hauled in three receptions for 42 yards, including a one-yard touchdown catch against Illinois.

1985 (Redshirt)
Griffin redshirted in his second season at Nebraska in 1985.

1984 (Freshman)
A scholarship recruit, Griffin was the second-leading receiver on the 1984 Husker freshman team, catching five passes for 66 yards as a 6-2, 250-pound tight end.

Monrovia High School
A first-team All-California Interscholastic Federation tight end for Coach Rick Watson at Monrovia High School, Griffin was a three-time all-conference selection. He was named the lineman of the year by the Los Angeles Times and the Pasadena Star-News

Personal
The son of Ruby Lee McGhee, Willie was a consumer science major at Nebraska.