Jim Thorpe Executive Director to Speak at NAIA Wrestling National Championships
Eddie Griffin, Executive Director of the Jim Thorpe Association, will be the keynote speaker for the NAIA Wrestling National Championships Awards Banquet, March 6th at Oklahoma City University.
Griffin was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and was given the Lifetime Service to Wrestling Award Class of 2001. He began a 20 year career as a wrestling coach in 1972, at Ardmore High School. In 1976, he moved to Del City where he coached 2 years. He then moved to the college ranks and become the coach at Central Oklahoma University. He acquired 3 NAIA National Championships in 1979, 81 and 82 respectively. He was named the Rookie College Coach of the Year by Amateur Wrestling News in 1979, and was 3 times a National Coach of the Year.
In 1983, he moved to the east coast and began coaching wrestling at Clemson. He was the 1991 Atlantic Coast Conference Coach of the Year. His coaching record boasts 211 wins, 84 losses and 4 ties.
He coached 11 individual National Champions, and 30 NCAA and NAIA All Americans. He has had 12 ACC Champions.
He returned to Oklahoma City in 1992, and became the Athletic Director of the Oklahoma City Schools. In 2000, he became the Athletic Director of Northeastern State University in Tahlequah until 2009 when he was named the Executive Director of the Jim Thorpe Association.
Griffin’s compassion for students and education has been a tremendous influence on the lives of many young people and he has given a lifetime of service to the youth of America through the sport of wrestling.
For information on the tournament or banquet, contact the Oklahoma City University Athletic Department 405-208-5309 or www.ocusports.com. For additional information on the Jim Thorpe Association call 405-427-1400 or www.jimthorpeassoc.org.