SPRINGFIELD — Some of coach Bob Griffith’s greatest achievements weren’t recorded in his win-loss record. They didn’t go unnoticed, however.
The Effingham County Board of Education recently voted to name Effingham County High School’s primary athletic facility after him. It will now be known as Rebel Field at Bob Griffith Stadium.
The move will be made official before the coin toss of the Rebels’ Sept. 23 home football game against South Effingham. Griffith will be joined for the occasion by his family and former players.
The kickoff is set at 7:30 p.m.
Griffith, a member of the Georgia Athletic Coaches Association Hall of Fame, led the Rebels football team from 1981-98, compiling a 129-67 mark with three Region 3-AAAA titles and nine playoff appearances. Effingham County, which started playing football in 1960, had never qualified for the postseason before his arrival.
“More importantly, he ran a clean program that showcased discipline, integrity and honor,” according to the recommendation to name the stadium after him.
From 1960-80, the Rebels won just 47 of 171 games and played in a stadium that held just 600 people.
“It was the worst situation I had ever come into as a football coach,” Griffith, a Kentucky native, said in a story about his GACA Hall of Fame induction in 2011. “The facilities were atrocious. The field looked like a cow pasture.”
After posting a 2-8 mark in his initial year with the Rebels, they put together 10 straight winning records before finishing 5-5 in 1992. His best team finished 14-1 in 1987 after falling to Morrow in the state championship game.
Griffith’s overall coaching record is 213-111-1, including stints at Appling County (1973-77, 1999-2002) and Colquitt County (1978-1980). He won a Region 2-AA (1999) and Region 2-AAA title (2000) with the Pirates.
A Vietnam War veteran who received the Bronze Star and Army Commendation Medal for Valor, Griffith was beloved by his players. Former Rebels endowed a scholarship in his honor at Georgia Tech.
Griffith served Georgia Tech for three years as its director of high school relations. He remains involved with the Yellow Jackets by attending clinics and working with high school coaches.
