Griffin enters his 25th year on the Plains as the head men[apos]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 18 NCAA Regional appearances in the last 19 years and to the NCAA Championships 16 times out of 24 years, a percentage not matched by any other coach in school history.
The coaching career for the 35-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 Championships. 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 and 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[apos]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.
Over his 35-year career, Griffin has defeated 4,516 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.
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 GCAA Hall of Fame.
While at Auburn, Griffin has led the Tigers to 39 tournament titles. He also played an instrumental role in bringing the 2000 NCAA Men[apos]s Golf Championship to Grand National[apos]s Lake Course. This was the first ever NCAA Championship in men[apos]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, without a doubt, turned Auburn into one of the top golf programs in the country.
Troy State Totals (11 years) 1581-642-22 .714
Auburn Totals (24 years) 2935-1711-66 .632
Career Totals (35 years) 4516-2353-88 .657