Fort Lewis College Athletics

Bill Griffith begins his second year as Offensive Line coach at Fort Lewis College. During the 2012 season, he served as special teams coordinator, co-recruiting coordinator and offensive tackles and tight ends coach. Griffith has 8 years of coaching experience on both sides of the ball and previous Assistant Head Coach and Coordinator Experience. Griffith was a member of the staff whose head coach was named league coach of the year on 3 different occasions.
 
Griffith came to Fort Lewis from Dodge City Community College, where he was the special teams coordinator and defensive line coach.  During the 2011 season, Dodge reached the NJCAA playoffs for the first time since 2005 and the special teams led the conference with four blocked punts and six blocked field goals. Before Dodge City, Griffith served as the assistant head coach and co-defensive coordinator at Garden City Community from 2009-11. The Broncbusters’ defense ranked in the top 10 nationally during both seasons and Griffith had five players sign NCAA Division I scholarships, including Player of the Year Chaz Nelson.
 
Prior to his stint at Garden City, Griffith served as defensive line coach at Hutchinson Community College, where he recruited Player of the Year Eugene Kinlaw and served a vital part in the recruiting that helped turn Hutchinson into the national powerhouse that it is today.
 
In 2006, Griffith coached the running backs and h-backs at Fort Scott Community College and the quarterbacks that spring. That year, the Greyhounds went 7-5 and played in The Heart of Texas Bowl after going winless in 2004-2005. Running back Javonnie Franklin and quarterback Greg Cross both earned second team all-conference honors and Cross later went on to sign with the University of Pittsburgh after being chosen as Offensive Player of the Year in 2007.
 
Griffith began his college coaching career at Butler Community College, where he was an assistant on the defensive side of the ball, special teams, and football operations.  His first coaching job was at Northern Heights High School in 2000, where he coached the offensive and defensive lines. The Wildcats reached the play offs for the first time in 13 years that season.
 
Griffith received his bachelor of arts degree in communications from Emporia State University in 2001. He was a four-year starter at defensive end for the Hornets who earned all-conference honors in 1997, 1998, and 1999. He was named team captain his senior year.  Griffith also competed in track & field at Emporia State.  A native of Kansas, he participated in football, basketball, and track at Marion High School.