Wednesday, July 6, 2016

Two-sport NCAA star: You need to know Texas Southern's Derrick Griffin



HOUSTON, Texas -- Some thought it would never happen again. Some thought two-sport stars were impossible because kids are now forced to choose their sport of choice at a young age. Names like Bo Jackson, Deion Sanders or Jim Thorpe were thought to be a thing of the past.

Meet Derrick Griffin from Texas Southern.

The 6-7, 230-pound Houston native was named Second Team All-SWAC as a wide receiver for the Tigers' football team, leading the conference with 11 touchdowns and an impressive freshman campaign of 35 catches for 709 yards. He took off his helmet and shoulder pads after Christmas and laced up a pair of sneakers to join the basketball team early in the New Year, six games into the Tigers' season.

After a two-year absence from playing basketball, Griffin dominated the conference in his 27 games, which saw him average 13.3 points and 11.1 rebounds per game. For his efforts, he was awarded the SWAC Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Newcomer of the Year, First team All-SWAC and was an honorable mention AP All-American. Not a bad resume.

Griffin was so dominant both on the football field and on the basketball court that it now begs the question: NBA or NFL?

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