Griffin was a unique educator

I’d like to thank The Bee for the wonderful article on educator Bill Griffin, who died in February.

I was cross country coach at Clovis High School in the late 1970s, and Bill was my athletic director. Together we planned the first Clovis Cross Country Invitational at Woodward Park. It had a different format then, and I think neither Bill nor myself thought that almost 40 years later it would be the sporting event that it has become.

Bill had a unique way of dealing with students, teachers and coaches. He might be disciplining you with his gregarious personality, but the look in his eye told you not to make the same mistake twice. I’ve been out of high school coaching for a long time, but whenever I meet up with old coaching buddies, a Bill Griffin story always pops up.

This story was originally published April 12, 2016 at 6:57 AM with the headline "Griffin was a unique educator."