Robert Griffin III - Football Players, Birthday and Childhood

Robert Griffin III was born in Okinawa, Japan, on February 12, 1990, to Robert Jr. and Jacqueline Griffin. Both his parents worked for the ‘US Army.’ Soon, the family moved to New Orleans. In 1997, following their retirement from the army, his parents settled permanently in Texas.

Ever since his teenage years, Robert was inclined toward sports, particularly toward track and field and football. Prior to that, he had been trained by his father in the track and had won a few tournaments, playing for the AAU, a team coached by his father. He also won a national championship for his age group.

Robert attended the ‘Copperas Cove High School’ and played both baseball and football in school. He also kept running on the tracks, but football remained his first love throughout his formative years. In the 2006 season, he passed for more than 2,000 yards, with 25 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. This performance earned him the first-team ‘All-District 16-4A’ honors.

At the same time, he made waves in track and field events in Texas and made several state records in hurdles. He was named the ‘Gatorade Texas Boys Track and Field Athlete of the Year’ in 2007.

During his senior year in high school, he played a major role in his school team reaching the finals of the state championship. As soon as his graduation neared, several major universities offered him programs.

In 2008, Robert started attending ‘Baylor University’ and later earned degrees in political science and communications. However, his main aim was to become a footballer. The strong track and field team at ‘Baylor’ was a value addition that compelled Robert to choose the well-respected university among other options.

As soon as he joined college, he became part of the track and field team. He ended up winning the 400-meter hurdle at the ‘Big 12 Conference Championship’ and the ‘NCAA Midwest Regional Championship.’ He then advanced to the ‘US Olympic Trials,’ where he finished in the fourth place.

Playing for the ‘Baylor Bears’ in football, he quickly became the best player on the team. By the end of the season, he was named the ‘Big 12 Conference Offensive Freshman of the Year.’ During his second season with the ‘Bears,’ Robert began with an injury, which kept him away from the first few games. He ended the season with a 4–8 record.

Following the redshirt status that was granted to him, Robert played the 2010 season as a sophomore. A player is eligible for this if he/she remains absent from 70% or more of the games in any season due to an injury. Robert had played in 25% of the games that season, which gave him the opportunity to start his second season all over again. Robert ended the season with a 7–6 record.

Toward the beginning of the 2011 season, the ‘Bears’ were not expected to perform well. However, following an astonishing performance by Robert, the team began the season with a win. With his support, the team, too, continued to perform well throughout the season.

By the end of the season, Robert’s statistics stood at 4,293 passing yards and 37 passing touchdowns. This made him earn fame among the ‘NFL’ teams. In 2011, Robert announced that he expected to be picked up in the 2012 ‘NFL Draft.’

During the first two years of his college career, Robert was not considered to be a fit player for the first-round drafts. However, by the final year of his performance, he grabbed the attention of several ‘NFL’ analysts and managers.

Robert was picked up by the ‘Washington Redskins’ as the second overall pick. He was given the number 10 jersey and insisted on getting his name printed as “Robert III,” making him the first player in the history of the "Big Four" professional sports leagues to have a Roman number printed on his jersey.

Robert made his debut for the ‘Redskins’ in a match against the ‘New Orleans Saints’ and helped his team score a close victory. He completed 19 passes, with 2 touchdowns, in his debut match. This performance led him to earn the honor of the ‘Offensive Player of the Week.’ This was the first time in ‘NFL’ history that a rookie quarterback had been given the award for his debut match.

His astonishing debut performance also won him the ‘NFL Rookie of the Week’ honor. He won the same honor again in the fourth week, for a match against the ‘Tampa Bay Buccaneers.’ In November, he was named the offensive co-captain by his teammates, which was a major honor for a rookie.

Robert set many records during his first year with the ‘Redskins.’ He set the record for the most passes and the highest touchdown-to-interception ratio. He also led his team to the playoff season for the first time since 2007. By the end of his first season, he was named the ‘NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year’ in 2012.

The 2013 season started well for Robert, but he could not hold the momentum and his performance kept deteriorating as the season progressed. This inconsistent performance continued in the next season, too. He was also struggling with injuries and was made to sit on the bench in many key games.

Somehow, his stardom seemed to have died down after repeated below-average seasons. He was not able to meet the promises he showed during his rookie years.

He was acquired by the ‘Cleveland Browns’ for the 2016 season and was released by them after his first year with them. Following this, he was acquired by the ‘Baltimore Ravens’ in 2018.

Robert Griffin III started dating Rebecca Liddicoat during his university days in 2009. The couple got married in 2013. In 2015, the couple had a daughter, Reese Ann Griffin. They filed for divorce in 2016.

In 2016, Robert began dating Grete Šadeiko, an Estonian heptathlete. They had a daughter, Gloria, in July 2017. They got married in 2018.

Robert has appeared in a lot of TV commercials since his college football days. Over the years, he has been part of commercials for ‘Gatorade,’ ‘Adidas,’ ‘EA Sports,’ ‘Nissan,’ and ‘Subway.’