BIO:
Mike Griffin is as much a part of Auburn Athletics as Toomer's Corner, Jordan-Hare Stadium and Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum are to this town and athletic program. Griffin enters his 23rd year on the Plains as the head men's golf coach, and since his tenure began at Auburn in 1984, progress has been the constant goal. He has brought success to the sport of golf at Auburn University. Griffin has led the Tigers to 16 NCAA Regional appearances in the last 18 years and to the NCAA Championships 14 times out of 22 years, a percentage not matched by any other coach in school history. The coaching career for the 33-year veteran began at his alma mater, Troy State. After graduating as one of the greatest golfers in Trojan history, Griffin played on the mini-tour, but returned to Troy State after two years and took over the program. As an amateur, Griffin amassed 30 amateur tournament wins as well as claiming the 1968 and 1969 Alabama Collegiate Conference Championship. He graduated from Troy State in 1970 with a degree in education. In only 11 seasons at Troy State, Griffin accumulated 1,581 wins, seven Gulf South Conference Championships, led the Trojans to the NCAA Division II Championships nine-straight years, finishing lower than fourth place only once. He was also honored as the conference's Coach of the Year nine times and won the National Championship in 1976, 1977 and 1984. Griffin coached 32 All-Americans while at Troy State. In 1985, Griffin moved to the Plains and took the Tigers to two tournament victories and a berth in the NCAA Championships, where they finished 18th. He was awarded the District III South Coach of the Year in his first season, but that was only the beginning for Griffin and the Tigers. In his second year, he took Auburn back to the NCAA Championship and finished 22nd. In 1990, Griffin led the team to a first-place finish in the NCAA East Regional. In perhaps one of the best performances in Auburn golf history, Jimmy Green won individual honors while leading his team to Auburn's first-ever regional title. Over his 33-year career, Griffin has defeated 4,267 teams, an incredible achievement. Although he strives for success on the golf course, he also encourages his players to perform well in the classroom. During his tenure at Auburn, Griffin has had 24 Academic All-SEC choices. Griffin has been named the NCAA Coach of the Year for Region III South five times: 1984-85, 93-94, 94-95 and 96-97. In 1995, he was also named the SEC Coach of the Year. That same year he coached Iain Steel, who went on to earn All-America honors and was named the SEC Player of the Year. Griffin has also coached Auburn's only NCAA individual champion, Chip Spratlin in 1996 and one of the most decorated Tigers in history in Lee Williams. Williams was a two-time Walker Cup member, a two-time All-American, a two-time Academic All-American, a three-time All-SEC selection and a member of the United States World Amateur Team. Griffin is a four-time SEC Coach of the Year selection, being named in 1995, 1997, 2001 and 2002. In 2000, Griffin was inducted into the NCAA Hall of Fame. Griffin led the Tigers to a third-place finish in the SEC Championship in 2001 and a runner-up finish in 2000. In 1994, Griffin led the Tigers to a tie with Tennessee for second time in the SEC Championship. That same year, Grand National's Lake Course in Opelika, was the site of the NCAA East Regional, in which the Tigers finished ninth on their home course to advance to the NCAA Championship. In 2002, the Tigers captured the SEC Championship, the first under Griffin. The following year (2003) the Tigers won three tournaments (Palencia Invitational, Rehling Invitational and the AU Mulit-Match) and finished second in the SEC and ranked 14th in the country. Despite a winning percentage of .384 for the 2004 season, the Tigers advanced the NCAA Championship where they tied for 21st. Last season, Griffin guided the Tigers to their seventh-straight NCAA Regional appearance and 12th appearance out of the last 13 years. The Tigers have also appeared in the NCAA Championships for 14 times during Griffin's tenure. The Tigers finished as the SEC Championship runner-up for the eighth time under Griffin. While at Auburn, Griffin has led the Tigers to 29 tournament titles. He also played an instrumental role in bringing the 2000 NCAA Men's Golf Championship to Grand National's Lake Course. This was the first ever NCAA Championship in men's golf hosted by Auburn University and the state of Alabama. There is no better coach than Mike Griffin to lead Auburn Golf. He has turned Auburn into one of the top golf programs in the country.
Griffin's Record
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