John G. Griffith
The Gem of the Mountains 1907,
University of Idaho yearbook |
|
| Sport(s) | Football, basketball, baseball |
|---|---|
| Biographical details | |
| Born |
January 4, 1880 Iowa City, Iowa |
| Died | March 23, 1948 (aged 68) Pasadena, California |
| Playing career | |
| 1897–1900 | Iowa |
| Position(s) | Fullback |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| Football | |
| 1901 | Simpson (IA) |
| 1902–1906 | Idaho |
| 1907–1908 | Iowa (assistant) |
| 1909 | Iowa |
| 1910–1914 | Idaho |
| 1915–1916 | Oklahoma A&M |
| 1917 | New Mexico A&M |
| Basketball | |
| 1905–1907 | Idaho |
| 1908–1910 | Iowa |
| 1910–1915 | Idaho |
| 1915–1917 | Oklahoma A&M |
| 1917–1920 | New Mexico A&M |
| Baseball | |
| 1903–1907 | Idaho |
| 1911 | Idaho (no team in 1912) |
| 1913–1915 | Idaho |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 49–38–5 (football) 101–80 (basketball) 9–5 (baseball) |
John George "Pink" Griffith (January 4, 1880 – March 23, 1948) was an American football player and coach of football, basketball, and baseball.
He served as the head football coach at Simpson College (1901), the University of Idaho (1902–1906, 1910–1914), the University of Iowa (1909), Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College—now Oklahoma State University–Stillwater (1915–1916), and New Mexico College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts—now New Mexico State University (1917), compiling a career college football record of 49–38–5. Griffith was also the head basketball coach at Idaho (1905–1907, 1910–1915), Iowa (1907–1910), Oklahoma A&M (1915–1917), and New Mexico A&M (1917–1920), tallying a career college basketball mark of 101–80. He also coached baseball at Idaho for eight seasons.
Born in Iowa City, Iowa, Griffith was a four-time college football letter winner for the University of Iowa from 1897 to 1900. Griffith, a fullback, played for some of the greatest teams in Iowa football history.
Against Illinois in 1899, Griffith returned a punt 85 yards as Iowa won, 58–0, to cap an undefeated season. After the game, referee R. T. Hoagland of Princeton said, "The dodging run of Griffith down the field for a touchdown was the best piece of individual playing that I ever saw. The men (of the 1899 Hawkeyes) are all stars; they make the best team I ever saw."
In Iowa's first year in the Western Conference (now known as the Big Ten) in 1900, Griffith was named Iowa's team captain. The team won the Western Conference title in Iowa's first year in the league. Iowa had to settle for a controversial 5–5 tie against Northwestern in Griffith's final game at Iowa. The entire team except Griffith ate a bad batch of creamed potatoes and got food poisoning the day before the game.
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