John Lorenzo Griffith (August 20, 1877 – December 7, 1944) was an American football, basketball, and baseball player, track athlete, coach, and college athletics administrator. He served as the first commissioner of the Big Ten Conference from 1922 until his death in 1944.[1]
 Griffith pictured in The Quax 1918, Drake yearbook | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 20, 1877 Mount Carroll, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | December 7, 1944 (aged 67) Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| ?–1902 | Beloit |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| Football | |
| c. 1903 | Yankton |
| 1905–1907 | Morningside |
| 1908–1915 | Drake |
| Basketball | |
| 1909–1910 | Drake |
| 1912–1914 | Drake |
| Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
| 1902–1905 | Yankton |
| 1905–1908 | Morningside |
| 1908–1918 | Drake |
| 1922–1944 | Big Ten (commissioner) |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 49–31–7 (football, excluding Yankton) |
Griffith attended Beloit College where he competed on the varsity football, baseball, basketball, and track and field teams.[2]
He married Allice Kelley on 17 Aug 1904. Alice was born 8 Nov 1879 in Waterford WI to Frances Beardsley Kelley and John Lawrence Kelley. She graduated Beloit College in Beloit, WI in 1901, and taught school. Alice died 20 Dec 1961 and is buried beside her husband in Oakhill Cemetery, Mount Carroll, Carroll County, Illinois. They had one child, John Lawrence Grffith, who was born in 1916 and died in 1984. He married Katherine Johnson who was born in 1917 and died in 2001. They both are interred in the Church of the Holy Comforter Columbarium in Winnetka IL.
Coaching career
editMorningside
editGriffith was the head football coach at Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa for three seasons, from 1905 until 1907. His coaching record at Morningside was 13–6–4.[3]
Drake
editGriffith was the tenth head football coach at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, serving for eight seasons, from 1908 until 1915, compiling a record of 36–25–3.[4] During his time at Drake, he created the Drake Relays, in 1910.[5]
Head coaching record
editFootball
edit| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morningside (Independent) (1905–1907) | |||||||||
| 1905 | Morningside | 6–1–2 | |||||||
| 1906 | Morningside | 4–2–1 | |||||||
| 1907 | Morningside | 2–3–1 | |||||||
| Morningside: | 13–6–4 | ||||||||
| Drake Bulldogs (Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association) (1908–1915) | |||||||||
| 1908 | Drake | 6–2 | 1–2 | 5th | |||||
| 1909 | Drake | 7–1 | 2–1 | 3rd | |||||
| 1910 | Drake | 3–5 | 0–3 | 7th | |||||
| 1911 | Drake | 5–2–1 | 0–2–1 | 6th | |||||
| 1912 | Drake | 5–3 | 2–2 | 3rd | |||||
| 1913 | Drake | 4–3–1 | 1–3 | 5th | |||||
| 1914 | Drake | 4–3–1 | 0–3–1 | T–5th | |||||
| 1915 | Drake | 2–6 | 1–4 | 6th | |||||
| Drake: | 36–25–3 | 7–20–2 | |||||||
| Total: | |||||||||
References
edit- ^ Schmidt, Ray (2000). "Major John Griffith" (PDF). College Football Historical Society Newsletter. 13 (2). LA 84 Foundation. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 15, 2012. Retrieved November 11, 2010.
- ^ Ray Schmidt. "MAJOR JOHN GRIFFITH". College Football Historical Society. p. 1. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
- ^ DeLassus, David. "Morningside Coaching Records". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on October 20, 2012. Retrieved November 4, 2010.
- ^ DeLassus, David. "Drake Coaching Records". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on July 27, 2010. Retrieved November 4, 2010.
- ^ "John L. Griffith". Beloit Hall of Honor. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
External links
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