Francis Marion University athletic officials recently announced
that former head baseball coach and athletic director Gerald
Griffin is the newest inductee into the FMU Athletic Hall of
Fame.
The induction ceremony will take place during Homecoming
activities on Saturday, Feb. 16, 2013, in the Smith University
Center gymnasium at approximately 3:15 p.m. between the women's and
men's games of the FMU and Young Harris College basketball
doubleheader.
Griffin established the Francis Marion baseball program in 1972
and guided the Patriots for 28 seasons until his retirement in
2000. He registered more than 730 career victories, including
22 years of 20-plus wins at the helm of the Francis Marion
program.
Just this past spring (2012), he was honored by the university
as his name adorns the newly completed athletic complex, which
includes baseball, softball, and soccer fields as well as a field
house and lake.
(PHOTO GALLERY)
A native of Williamston, N.C., Griffin joined the Francis Marion
staff in 1972 as head baseball coach and assistant dean of student
affairs. He was named athletic director in 1973 and served
continuously in that capacity while also coaching baseball, and led
an athletic program from mere existence to one of national
prominence.
On the baseball diamond, he directed FMU to a 655-433-1 mark in
28 seasons, including a trip to the 1993 NCAA regional
tournament. His career baseball coaching record, including
six seasons at St. Andrews Presbyterian College, stands at an
impressive 736-521-1.
Nine times in his career, Griffin garnered "coach of the year"
honors, twice being named the South Carolina Baseball "Coach of the
Year," and in 1993, he was elected to the NAIA Hall of Fame.
That honor gained him formal recognition by the S.C. House of
Representatives with a house resolution congratulating and
commending him for the honor.
Between 1974 and 1999, he directed the Patriot summer baseball
camp, which was attended by countless area youths.
As athletic director, Griffin directed the Francis Marion
athletic program as it moved from NAIA status to NCAA Division II
affiliation in 1992. Under his leadership, the program grew from
seven sports (four men's and three women's) to 14 sports (seven for
both men and women). In 1997, the school received the highest
marks among all South Carolina institutions and Peach Belt Athletic
Conference members according to a gender equity report card
released by the Women's Sports Foundation.
Under Griffin, the school captured a pair of team national
championships, both in women's basketball; won two NCAA women's
tennis doubles titles; and earned back-to-back Peach Belt Athletic
Conference Commissioner's Cup trophies (1997-98 and 1998-99),
signifying the most successful all-around athletic program in the
conference. He was instrumental in the founding of the
Patriot's Brigade (now the Swamp Fox Club), the fund-raising
organization for FMU athletics.
In 1993, he inaugurated the Patriots Brigade Academic Honor Roll
banquet, annually honoring student athletes for academic
achievement. In 1991, Griffin organized and directed the FMU
Athletic Hall of Fame, which with his induction will now have 39
members. In addition, he wrote the proposal to the NCAA for
the National Youth Sports Program (NYSP), which was awarded during
the years of 1997, 1998, and 1999.
During the school's 20 years as a member of the NAIA District
Six (1972-92), Francis Marion won 38 district team titles,
including at least one district championship in 17 of the 20
years. During its final year as a NAIA member, FMU won four
district titles. After joining the Peach Belt in 1992, Francis
Marion won four team championships, with eight sports earning
national poll rankings, prior to Griffin's retirement.
Griffin earned both the B.A. and M.A. degrees from the
University of North Carolina, where he was a four-year letterman on
the Tar Heel baseball team, twice earning All-Atlantic Coast
Conference honors. He later spent several seasons in the
Philadelphia Phillies minor league system.
Griffin joins 38 current members in the FMU Athletic Hall of
Fame, which was formed in 1991.
