Robert Griffin III: Lasting Legacy Will Transform Baylor into National Power

Former Baylor University Bears quarterback Robert Griffin III brought his school 10 wins, an Alamo Bowl victory, a top-15 finish and a Heisman trophy.

But the most important thing he'll leave for his school?

A legacy. 

RGIII, as he's known around, well, the entire world by now, has almost single-handedly turned Baylor into a winning program for the first time in long while.

Before Griffin arrived in Waco in 2008, the Bears hadn't seen a winning record since 1995 when they went 7-4. In fact, between '95 and '08 Baylor was simply awful. They were 33-101. That's a winning percentage of .246.

I think at that point, you just start going by "losing percentage."

Not even Griffin was able to turn this struggling program around right away. He showed flashes of brilliance during his freshman season, completing 15 touchdowns to just three interceptions in 11 starts, but his team finished a disappointing 4-8. 

Still, he won Big 12 Freshman of the Year honors, and it was apparent big things were coming from this former track star.

After he tore his ACL in 2009, however, the Bears again finished 4-8. 

The anticipated turnaround finally came in 2010 during Griffin's sophomore year (he was granted a redshirt in 2009). RGIII completed 67 percent of his passes for just over 3,500 yards, 22 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He also added 635 yards and eight touchdowns via the ground.

The Bears, behind their stud quarterback, finished at 7-6, their best season in 15 years. Finally, there was a winning culture in Waco, and it was all because of Griffin.

The rest is history.

Griffin came in this year and turned Baylor into one of the best offensive teams in the country. He completed 72 percent of his throws for 4,293 yards, 37 touchdowns and six interceptions. He was again a star on the ground, as well. He became the first Baylor player to win the Heisman.

The Bears finished 10-3 and beat the Washington Huskies in the Alamo Bowl. It was their first 10-win season since 1980.

So Griffin, in essentially two years, turned this team from a Big 12 joke that won two out of every 10 games to a legitimate BCS contender.

But the real question is, will the Bears stay there? Did Griffin do enough to save this program not only for the present, but for the future as well?

All signs point to yes.

Before Griffin got to Baylor, the Bears never put together a recruiting class that ranked even close to the top 50 in the country. 

Since he's gotten there, they have put together three straight classes right around No. 40, according to Rivals.

Obviously that's not all because of Griffin, but he's the reason Baylor is on the map right now. He's a big reason for young recruits actually knowing there's a football program besides Texas or Texas A&M in the state of Texas. 

Throw in the fact that Oklahoma and Texas struggled this year and Texas A&M left for the SEC, and suddenly Baylor is looking like a threat in the Big 12 for a long time.

Asking an 18-year-old kid to turn around a program is sort of a big task, but Griffin did that and more.

He turned Baylor into a winning school and set them up nicely for the future.