This directory preserves a dated trail of contemporary material about Griffining. It separates event reporting, independently published fan photographs, primary newspaper records, and the original site’s own archived snapshot. A photo appearing in news coverage is not automatically verified as having appeared on Griffining.com.
Documented sources
| Date | Source | Historical evidence | Archive note |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 9, 2012 | Pro Football Reference | Game record | Verified event statistics; not a gallery photograph |
| September 10, 2012 | CBS Sports | Early fan-photo examples | Three credited early recreations and Burgundy Blog reference |
| September 11, 2012 | NFL.com | Early hashtag and @Griffining posts | Airport, Baylor campus, kindergarten and other photo leads |
| September 12, 2012 | Baylor Lariat | Original university newspaper (PDF) | Page 3, Krista Pirtle; prints the term Griffining |
| September 12, 2012 | Associated Press | RG3’s comments about the meme | Contemporary direct interview, no site submission implied |
| September 30, 2012 | The Washington Post | RG3 poses with Kellie Wells | Published image, context and correction identifying Wells |
| October 18, 2012 | The Washington Post | Fox Sports filming RG3 segment | Contemporary eyewitness account of the Lincoln Memorial production |
| October 21, 2012 | The Washington Post | Griffining against Giants | Describes broader fandom, fan photos and Lincoln Memorial clip |
| October 22, 2012 | The Washington Post | Adidas Griffining shirt | Merchandise and earlier fan-made T-shirts, not original gallery submissions |
| October 22, 2012 | The Washington Post | Fox pregame segment follow-up | Confirms broadcast context; not a recovered original-site video |
| December 27, 2012 | Internet Archive | Original Griffining.com snapshot | Direct historical-site capture, but automated page access is inconsistent |
| February 14, 2013 | The Washington Post | Broad Run High School’s Griffining campaign | Later continuation of the pose; photos of students and teachers |
How sources are evaluated
- Contemporary primary document: Original newspaper, game record, dated photograph or social post.
- Original-site evidence: A surviving Griffining.com page, post path or image upload.
- Attribution: A credit appearing on the original source, not inferred from a search result.
- Publication and capture dates: The day a post was created and the day an archive copied it are different and must be labeled separately.
- Use rights and privacy: Check permissions and the people depicted before republishing historical photos.
For recovery updates, see our restoration method. Our report on the first week of the meme and Washington’s later team retrospective documents two additional sources and the distinction between official team rankings and original Griffining.com submissions. For the first individual fan-photo references, see the 2012 source guide. See also how the pose reached merchandise and television in October 2012. The original gallery remains limited to credited restored photo entries with their verification status stated on each page. Original site logos and artwork are cataloged separately and are not counted as fan submissions.