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‘I Believe He Can Play in the NFL’: Thor Griffith Prepares for Pro Football Career | Sports

Thor C. Griffith ’24 has always been an athlete. As a kid, he was a stellar ice hockey player and a great heavyweight wrestler. When Harvard Football’s legendary Head Coach, Tim Murphy, saw videos of Griffith playing hockey, he knew he needed him on his football team. “The drills were elite to the point I […]

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Thor C. Griffith ’24 has always been an athlete. As a kid, he was a stellar ice hockey player and a great heavyweight wrestler.

When Harvard Football’s legendary Head Coach, Tim Murphy, saw videos of Griffith playing hockey, he knew he needed him on his football team.

“The drills were elite to the point I said to Thor, ‘That can’t be you,’” Coach Murphy explained. “To which he said, ‘Coach, that is me!! I was a top 100 hockey player in the U.S. when I was 12 years old.’”

Griffith declared for the 2025 NFL Draft this past January, hoping, alongside former Crimson teammates Tyler Neville and Matthew Hudson, to join the few Harvard Football alumni in the National Football League.

The 320-pound, six-foot-two defensive tackle looks like a strong prospect in the upcoming draft, having proved that he can compete at a high collegiate level in both the Ivy League and ACC.

Griffith kick-started his football career in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where he excelled in the Portsmouth Clippers jersey. By his junior year of high school, Griffith was sending out highlight reels and workout videos to a variety of college coaches in an attempt to get recruited.

Portsmouth, a small town in New England, is not known for having a particularly strong football program or for sending athletes to play at the competitive Division 1 level.

Thankfully for Harvard’s football team, Coach Murphy was one of the few collegiate coaches to respond to Griffith’s messages.

“Thor was an interesting kid in that people now assume he was a highly recruited major college athlete out of high school. That wasn’t the case,” said Coach Murphy. “He came to our Summer Camp after his junior year in high school as a defensive lineman from New Hampshire. After camp was over, we sat down and talked about the top student-athletes who had come to campus and which kids had the three things we believe in to have success at Harvard and in the Ivy League.”

During the recruiting process, Coach Murphy and his Harvard coaching staff looked for players who were very strong students, with great personal character, all while having true Division 1 athletic potential.

At the beginning of Griffith’s recruiting period, Coach Murphy said that his coaching staff didn’t believe Thor was a good enough player, which caused them to “move on to other recruits for his position.”

In addition to his success on the ice, Griffith’s heavyweight wrestling videos, in which he tosses around a 280-pound opponent “like a rag doll,” also helped convey his natural strength and competitiveness.

Griffith lines up for a snap against St. Thomas.

Murphy explained that these clips, showcasing Griffith’s inherent athleticism, were the deciding factor in offering him a position on the Harvard team.

“He was clearly an elite athlete, albeit a huge one who did not have much football coaching or history,” Murphy said. “I told our staff, ‘We are taking this kid based on his potential,’ and the rest is history, as he is one of the top Defensive Linemen in Harvard Football history.”

“That’s kind of where it all started,” said Griffith while reflecting on his official commitment to the Crimson program.

Despite the initial excitement of committing to Harvard, Griffith’s first fall at Harvard in 2020 was unconventional due to COVID-19 restrictions. The Ivy League, notoriously strict in imposing regulations to stop the spread of the virus, completely cancelled the 2020 football season.

Although he lost a year of competition in the Crimson jersey, Griffith had an extremely momentous career at Harvard. He played in every single game for his remaining three seasons, notching an impressive 132 tackles. Among his many achievements, Griffith also claimed the title of All-Ivy League First Team, AFCA All-America Second Team, and FCS Football Central All-America Second Team.

Off the field, Griffith lived in Eliot House and pursued a concentration in economics with a secondary in Celtic Languages and Literature.

He credits his niche passion for Celtic culture to Harvard’s renowned Professor Gregory Nagy.

“My junior year, a couple of guys on the team and I took one of Professor Nagy’s classes in Celtic Languages and Literature,” Griffith said. “I thought it was super interesting. During my last semester, I only had to take two more classes to get the secondary. I was like, ‘Why not?’”

Although Harvard and the other Ancient Eight schools are not known for churning out NFL players, Griffith does not regret the time he spent in Cambridge. He also cites the rigorous Ivy League education for helping him mentally prepare to compete at a higher level and train for the NFL Draft.

“I really enjoyed my time at Harvard,” Griffith explained. “I feel like I wouldn’t have had such a great experience anywhere else, especially with all the people I’ve met, all my teammates, and all the friends I’ve made.”

When Griffith ran out of eligibility at Harvard, he decided to take his 5th year to pursue his dream of playing in the NFL. As he entered the portal, he received significant attention from serious football programs. Eventually, he selected the University of Louisville.

Griffith attributes his decision largely to the coaching program at Louisville, particularly crediting the defensive line coach Mark Hagen.

“I went on an official visit there, and just being there for the weekend, seeing the city, seeing the fans, seeing the facilities, I just fell in love with the area and the program and bought into what Coach Hagen was saying,” he said.

Griffith committed to the Cardinals that weekend, officially bringing his athletic skill to the Power Four. Despite making the jump from the Football Championship Subdivision, which the Ivy League competes in, to the more intense Football Bowl Subdivision, Griffith felt prepared.

“I did notice guys being a little more hesitant, thinking like hey, this guy is from the Ivy League,” Griffith said. “Is he really that good at football? Can he really compete at this level?”

Although fans and opponents initially doubted his ability to perform at a higher level, Griffith played a crucial role in all 13 of Louisville’s games this past fall. He completed 14 solo tackles and 21 total tackles in addition to three sacks for an overall loss of 16 yards.

Immediately after the conclusion of his season with the Cardinals, Griffith set his sights on the NFL Draft. He prepared for the combine and his Pro Day, when the professional teams send scouts to the major football programs to watch all of their draft candidates compete.

Griffith trained in Florida at Bommarito Performance Systems, a high-intensity training facility run by Pete Bommarito. Bommarito specializes in preparing collegiate football players for the NFL Combine, so Griffith worked out there from January until his Louisville Pro Day in March.

During these showcases, athletes are not just asked to play football, but are also observed sprinting, benching, doing the five-ten-five test, among other activities.

“When I was training for my Pro Day, it was like I wasn’t training for football anymore,” Griffith explained. “It’s more about gearing your training towards technique and muscle endurance. It was nothing that I did or that any of the other guys I was training with had done before.”

Thanks to the months spent in grueling training, Griffith excelled in his Pro Day. He ran a 4.9-second 40-yard dash and showed off his strength by completing 42 bench press reps at 225 pounds.

The time spent in Florida, though, was “mentally and physically taxing, since you’re trying to push yourself to your maximum limit during training every day,” said Griffith.

He attributes Harvard to helping him get through the challenging past few months.

“Not only did I have to prepare for games week in and week out, but also spend so many hours practicing, watching film, lifting, while at the same time balancing Harvard academics,” explained Griffith. “I learned how to balance that and handle super stressful situations.”

“I felt like Harvard really did prepare me to handle this process in a mental capacity, as I am used to the continuous work, work, work, work, every day mentality,” he added.

Now, after years of training, Griffith will wait for his phone to ring come draft night.

“It’s exciting but stressful at the same time,” Griffith said. “It’s one of the first times in my life where football is no longer a guarantee.”

Harvard, Louisville, and Portsmouth fans alike will keep a close eye on the later rounds of the draft in hopes that Griffith will, in fact, get that phone call and secure a contract from a professional team.

Throughout his career, Griffith has risen to the top of each team that he has been on. He has proved that he is a gritty and determined athlete. He is ready, both physically and mentally, to take his talents to the NFL.

“I believe he will get an NFL contract, and I believe he can play in the NFL,” Coach Murphy shared. “Thor’s a great kid, and I believe he will make it.”

– Staff Writer Isabel C. Smail can be reached at isabel.smail@thecrimson.com

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U.S. wins first World Championship since 1933 as Tage Thompson’s OT goal downs Swiss

Buffalo Sabres star Tage Thompson scored in overtime to lift the United States to a dramatic 1-0 victory over Switzerland in the IIHF World Championship gold medal game on Sunday in Stockholm. The goal gave the United States men’s hockey program its first World Championship since 1933. Team USA wins gold at the #MensWorlds for […]

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Buffalo Sabres star Tage Thompson scored in overtime to lift the United States to a dramatic 1-0 victory over Switzerland in the IIHF World Championship gold medal game on Sunday in Stockholm.

The goal gave the United States men’s hockey program its first World Championship since 1933.

Thompson received a pass from Logan Cooley and skated down the right wing. Cooley created a bit of interference by making a beeline to the net, while Thompson unleashed a shot from the top of the right circle that beat Swiss goaltender Leonardo Genoni, who was magnificent in defeat.

Genoni stopped 38 of 39 shots, including a second-period penalty shot by Vancouver Canucks forward Conor Garland.

Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman backstopped the Americans to the victory by stopping all 25 shots he faced.

The United States controlled play through most of the 60 regulation minutes but couldn’t find a way to beat the 37-year-old Genoni, a longtime member of the Swiss national team.

While this is a tournament that traditionally means more in Europe than it does in North America, Team USA did send a fairly strong group of players to the two-week tournament that took place in Denmark and Sweden. Thompson and Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski were among the big-name Americans to participate in the tournament.

A number of younger American players thrived in this tournament, including Ottawa Senators forward Shane Pinto, Utah Mammoth forwards Clayton Keller and Cooley, and Anaheim forward Cutter Gauthier.

Tournament takeaways 

• With all due respect to the United States and Switzerland for advancing to the championship, this tournament will long be remembered for what happened in the quarterfinals, when Canada was stunned by Denmark.

No, this wasn’t the Olympics or even the 4 Nations Face-off. Still, the Canadian roster did boast its share of star power, which included Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon. Also, Jordan Binnington was the man between the pipes, and he’s the same person who recently won the 4 Nations Face-off, and there is a very real possibility that he will be Canada’s Olympic goaltender in Milan in nine months.

Canada was ahead, 1-0, late in the third period when Denmark evened the score with its goaltender pulled and then scored the game-winner with less than a minute remaining to stun Canada.

It will go down as one of the most surprising upsets that Canada has ever sustained.

• The Americans showed off their depth in this tournament. Many of their biggest names, players who will participate in the Olympics, did not make the trip to Europe this spring.

And yet, what could be considered the American “B-team” was still good enough to beat many of the world’s best teams.

Does it mean anything in regard to the Olympics? Probably not. But it does display ample evidence that the United States is here to stay as a dominant hockey power, its depth very much impressing in this tournament.

• One can’t deny how impressive the goaltending was in this tournament. Low-scoring games were the norm, but I wouldn’t say that teams were simply playing it safe and dumping and chasing. To some extent they were, but the goaltending on display, especially from European teams, was impressive.

Canada, in particular, is having difficulty producing strong goaltending these days. The same can’t be said of otherwise lesser European hockey nations.

(Photo: Jonathan Nackstrand / AFP via Getty Images)





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US wins ice hockey world championship gold with 1-0 OT win against Switzerland

STOCKHOLM (AP) — Tage Thompson scored at 2:02 of overtime to the give the United States a 1-0 victory over Switzerland on Sunday for its second world hockey championship and first since 1933. Thompson, the Buffalo Sabres star from Connecticut, fired a wrist shot past goalie Leonardo Genoni from the top of the right circle for this […]

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STOCKHOLM (AP) — Tage Thompson scored at 2:02 of overtime to the give the United States a 1-0 victory over Switzerland on Sunday for its second world hockey championship and first since 1933.

Thompson, the Buffalo Sabres star from Connecticut, fired a wrist shot past goalie Leonardo Genoni from the top of the right circle for this sixth goal of the tournament.

“What an absolutely amazing feeling,” said U.S. coach Ryan Warsofsky of the San Jose Sharks. “Everyone in our group contributed to winning the gold medal. We beat an excellent team in Switzerland tonight and full credit to them for the tournament they had … We’ll remember this for a long, long time.”

In 1933, the United States beat Canada 2-1 in the final in Prague. The Americans also were formally awarded the title in 1960, when they won the Olympics in Squaw Valley and the worlds did not take place.

“It’s been a long time coming,” Vancouver forward Drew O’Connor said. “U.S. hockey has been growing and getting better every year. We haven’t had success here, but you’ve seen it in the world juniors and things like that.”

Utah’s Logan Cooley and Nashville’s Brady Skjei assisted on the goal. Boston goalie Jeremy Swayman made 25 saves to finish 7-0 in the tournament.

“We did it, the wait is over,” Swayman said on social media. “Thanks for sticking along with us. It’s going to be a great summer.”

Vancouver’s Conor Garland failed on a penalty shot early in the second.

Amid the celebrations on the ice, the U.S. players displayed Johnny Gaudreau ‘s jersey to honor the forward who was killed with brother Matt in late August riding their bicycles in their home state of New Jersey on the eve of their sister’s wedding. Gaudreau leads the U.S. scorers at the worlds with 43 points.

“What a group. What a fun month,” Garland said. “If we lost, we lost … but we didn’t. We’re such a tight-knit group, that’s just the way it always is with USA Hockey.”

Switzerland beat the U.S. 3-0 in the group stage of the tournament, the Americans’ only defeat.

Bronze medal for Sweden

Mikael Backlund and Marcus Johansson each scored twice to help Sweden beat Denmark 6-2 in the third-place game.

Lucas Raymond and Mika Zibanejad also scored for Sweden. Nick Olesen and Nikolaj Ehlers scored for Denmark.

___

AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.



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US wins ice hockey world championship gold with 1-0 OT win against Switzerland

STOCKHOLM (AP) — Tage Thompson scored at 2:02 of overtime to the give the United States a 1-0 victory over Switzerland on Sunday for its second world hockey championship and first since 1933. Thompson, the Buffalo Sabres star from Connecticut, fired a wrist shot past goalie Leonardo Genoni from the top of the right circle for this […]

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May 26, 2025

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STOCKHOLM (AP) — Tage Thompson scored at 2:02 of overtime to the give the United States a 1-0 victory over Switzerland on Sunday for its second world hockey championship and first since 1933.

Thompson, the Buffalo Sabres star from Connecticut, fired a wrist shot past goalie Leonardo Genoni from the top of the right circle for this sixth goal of the tournament.

“What an absolutely amazing feeling,” said U.S. coach Ryan Warsofsky of the San Jose Sharks. “Everyone in our group contributed to winning the gold medal. We beat an excellent team in Switzerland tonight and full credit to them for the tournament they had … We’ll remember this for a long, long time.”

In 1933, the United States beat Canada 2-1 in the final in Prague. The Americans also were formally awarded the title in 1960, when they won the Olympics in Squaw Valley and the worlds did not take place.

“It’s been a long time coming,” Vancouver forward Drew O’Connor said. “U.S. hockey has been growing and getting better every year. We haven’t had success here, but you’ve seen it in the world juniors and things like that.”

Utah’s Logan Cooley and Nashville’s Brady Skjei assisted on the goal. Boston goalie Jeremy Swayman made 25 saves to finish 7-0 in the tournament.

“We did it, the wait is over,” Swayman said on social media. “Thanks for sticking along with us. It’s going to be a great summer.”

Vancouver’s Conor Garland failed on a penalty shot early in the second.

Amid the celebrations on the ice, the U.S. players displayed Johnny Gaudreau ‘s jersey to honor the forward who was killed with brother Matt in late August riding their bicycles in their home state of New Jersey on the eve of their sister’s wedding. Gaudreau leads the U.S. scorers at the worlds with 43 points.

“What a group. What a fun month,” Garland said. “If we lost, we lost … but we didn’t. We’re such a tight-knit group, that’s just the way it always is with USA Hockey.”

Switzerland beat the U.S. 3-0 in the group stage of the tournament, the Americans’ only defeat.

Bronze medal for Sweden

Mikael Backlund and Marcus Johansson each scored twice to help Sweden beat Denmark 6-2 in the third-place game.

Lucas Raymond and Mika Zibanejad also scored for Sweden. Nick Olesen and Nikolaj Ehlers scored for Denmark.

___

AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.



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UW-Whitewater’s Billson & Giorgio Fall In NCAA Men’s Tennis

Story Links CLAREMONT, Calif.–University of Wisconsin-Whitewater’s Theo Billson and Reuben Giorgio fell in the Round of 16 in the NCAA Division III Men’s Tennis Doubles Championship at the Biszantz Family Tennis Center on May 23. Billson & Giorgio, ranked ninth in the ITA poll, matched up against sixth-ranked Utham Koduri and Michael […]

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CLAREMONT, Calif.–University of Wisconsin-Whitewater’s Theo Billson and Reuben Giorgio fell in the Round of 16 in the NCAA Division III Men’s Tennis Doubles Championship at the Biszantz Family Tennis Center on May 23.

Billson & Giorgio, ranked ninth in the ITA poll, matched up against sixth-ranked Utham Koduri and Michael Melnikov from Swarthmore College (Pa.).

The Warhawk duo fell in the first set 6-2, but bounced back and grabbed the first game of the second set. Giorgio & Billson kept it closed in the second set, but Swarthmore took the 6-4 advantage to take the match in straight sets.

The ITA All-American doubles combination finished the 2024-25 campaign with a 23-7 overall record.

 

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U.S. wins ice hockey world championship, honors Johnny Gaudreau – NBC New York

The long wait is over. Tage Thompson scored the golden goal as the United States prevailed over Switzerland 1-0 in overtime to win its first ice hockey world championship in decades on Sunday. Thompson wristed a shot past goaltender Leonardo Genoni from the top of the right circle for the winner 2:02 into overtime of […]

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The long wait is over.

Tage Thompson scored the golden goal as the United States prevailed over Switzerland 1-0 in overtime to win its first ice hockey world championship in decades on Sunday.

Thompson wristed a shot past goaltender Leonardo Genoni from the top of the right circle for the winner 2:02 into overtime of the final with the 40th shot on goal. It was his sixth goal at the tournament.

Logan Cooley and Brady Skjei provided the assists and goaltender Jeremy Swayman shut out the Swiss with 25 saves.

USA Hockey says it is only the second trophy won at the tournament by the Americans after beating Canada in 1933, and it welcomed the triumph by saying “Golden For First Time in 92 Years.”

“What an absolutely amazing feeling,” U.S. head coach Ryan Warsofsky said. “Everyone in our group contributed to winning the gold medal. We beat an excellent team in Switzerland tonight and full credit to them for the tournament they had … We’ll remember this for a long, long time.”

While the Americans had not won a world championship tournament in which they competed since 1933, the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) says the U.S. was also formally awarded the title in 1960, when they won the Olympic tournament and the worlds did not take place.

USA Hockey does not count that 1960 title.

Switzerland, last year’s runner-up, has never won the tournament.

Scoreless in regulation

The tightly contested game was scoreless in regulation with both goaltenders holding firm.

Conor Garland wasted a penalty shot 5:38 into the middle period.

The U.S. began to mount pressure in the middle period, outshooting the Swiss 17-9, and went on with 11 shots on goal against four in the third.

Swayman had a perfect record 7-0 at the worlds.

“We did it, the wait is over,” Swayman said in a post on social media. “Thanks for sticking along with us. It’s going to be a great summer.”

Amid the celebrations on the ice, the U.S. players displayed Johnny Gaudreau ’s jersey to honor the forward who was killed with his brother Matt in late August riding their bicycles in their home state of New Jersey on the eve of their sister Katie’s wedding.

Gaudreau leads the U.S. all-time scoring table at the worlds with 43 points.

The hockey community is mourning the deaths of NHL star Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew, who were killed Thursday night by a suspected drunk driver

Third medal for Thompson

Switzerland shut out the U.S. 3-0 in the group stage of the tournament, the Americans’ only defeat.

After winning bronze in 2018 and 2021, Thompson of the Buffalo Sabres earned his third medal and tied Allen Van (2 silver, 1 bronze) for the most decorated U.S. player at the worlds.

All players on the U.S. team except the three goaltenders registered at least a point at the tournament, with the 21-year-olds Frank Nazar and Logan Cooley leading with 12 points.

Switzerland lost the fourth final since the playoff system was introduced in 1992. It was beaten by Sweden in 2013 and 2018 and by the Czechs last year.

Bronze medal for Sweden

Mikael Backlund and Marcus Johansson scored two goals each as Sweden beat Denmark 6-2 to take the bronze medal earlier Sunday.

It was the second straight third-place finish for Sweden while fourth place was the best-ever result for Denmark.

Lucas Raymond and Mika Zibanejad also scored for the winners while Nick Olesen and Nikolaj Ehlers scored for Denmark.



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Boston College Hockey Alums Win Gold With Team USA in 2025 IIHF World Championship

Team USA won the gold medal in the 2025 IIHF Men’s World Championship with a 1-0 victory over Switzerland on Sunday at Avicii Arena in Stockholm, Sweden.  The two teams battled it out throughout regulation. Team USA had 39 shots, while Switzerland had 24. USA goalie Jeremy Swayman (Boston Bruins) recorded 24 saves in the […]

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Team USA won the gold medal in the 2025 IIHF Men’s World Championship with a 1-0 victory over Switzerland on Sunday at Avicii Arena in Stockholm, Sweden. 

The two teams battled it out throughout regulation. Team USA had 39 shots, while Switzerland had 24. USA goalie Jeremy Swayman (Boston Bruins) recorded 24 saves in the full 60 minutes, and Switzerland goalie Leonardo Genoni made 39 saves in the contest.

Each team attempted one shot in overtime and one went into the net. The game-winning goal came at the 62:02 mark of overtime with a score from former UConn and current Buffalo Sabres forward Tage Thompson. The score was assisted by Logan Cooley and Brady Skjei. Thompson won Player of the Game for his goal.

The win made history as the first time the USA has brought home the gold medal in the event since 1933, a 92-year drought. 

Team USA’s roster featured two former Boston College men’s hockey players, forwards Cutter Gauthier (Anaheim Ducks) and Will Smith (San Jose Sharks). 

Although neither player picked up a goal or assist in the championship game, both have helped in the USA’s success. In the event, Gauthier tallied five goals and four assists and Smith boasted eight assists. The statistics include the team’s exhibition win over Germany on May 4. 

In the USA’s run, the team recorded wins over Denmark 5-0, Hungary 6-0, Norway 6-5 OT, Germany 6-3, Kazakhstan 6-1, Czechia 5-2, Finland 5-2, and Sweden 6-2. The USA’s only loss was against Switzerland on May 12 3-0.

See Also: Boston College Men’s Hockey Lands Commitment From Goaltender Louka Cloutier



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