Stetson University Athletics

Full Bio

One of the most successful coaches in Division I softball, Frank Griffin is in his 26th year as head coach of the Stetson softball team.

Griffin has amassed 986 career victories during his 32 seasons, an average of over 30 wins per year.  His victory total currently ranks him 16th among active NCAA Division I coaches and 26th on the all-time Division I coaches list.

During his 25 years at Stetson, Griffin has led the Hatters to 761 wins, 20 appearances in the ASUN Softball tournament, two regular season championships, two conference tournament titles and two appearances in the NCAA Tournament.

During the 2014 campaign, Griffin won his 800th career game overall and 600th as coach of the Hatters. He also coached in his 1000th contest at Stetson in the Atlantic Sun Championship game.

These positive results on the field would not have come without Griffin’s hard work behind the scenes. In his first five years at Stetson, Griffin spearheaded a movement to bring the softball program to a major sport status.  In 1997, the program had just 2.3 scholarships to award student-athletes. That figure was raised to 5.3 in the 1998 recruiting year, raised to 8.3 in 1999 and to 10.7 in 2000. In the summer of 2001, Griffin was able to award a full 11.7 scholarships to softball student-athletes.

Griffin has also led a fundraising effort for Patricia Wilson Field, the six-time National Field of the Year winner that is the crown jewel of Atlantic Sun Conference softball facilities. The 2003 season marked the inaugural season on the new field for the Hatters, but additions and improvements to the complex continued for six years as the team building that opened in the summer of 2008 marked the capstone to the project.  

Prior to arriving at Stetson, Griffin spent seven years as head softball coach at Winthrop University (1983-89) in Rock Hill, S.C. With the Lady Eagles, Griffin compiled a record of 225-87, won six conference titles in seven seasons and led Winthrop to three NAIA National Tournaments. 1984-85 was arguably his finest year as he led Winthrop to a 33-12 record and seventh-place finish at the NAIA National Tournament.

Griffin also played fastpitch softball for the Rock Hill Merchants for five seasons. In 1988 Griffin pitched his team to the South Carolina State Championship and was named team MVP. The Merchants went on to win the Southeast Regional in 1988 and again 1989. When he was not pitching, Griffin saw time at first base and in the outfield.

A 1983 Winthrop graduate, Griffin played soccer where he was named MVP and captain, earned all-district honors three-straight years, and broke numerous school records.  

Following graduation from Winthrop, Griffin became an assistant and then head soccer coach for three seasons (1987-89). Griffin became the first South Carolina native to earn an "A" coaching license from the United States Soccer Federation.

Griffin has been inducted into both the Stetson University and Winthrop University Athletic Hall of Fame. 

Griffin and his wife, Marla, reside in New Smyrna Beach.

Griffin's Year-By-Year Results