John L. Griffith
Griffith pictured in The Quax 1918, Drake yearbook | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 20, 1877 Mount Carroll, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | December 7, 1944 (aged 67) Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| ?–1902 | Beloit |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| Football | |
| c. 1903 | Yankton |
| 1905–1907 | Morningside |
| 1908–1915 | Drake |
| Basketball | |
| 1909–1910 | Drake |
| 1912–1914 | Drake |
| Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
| 1902–1905 | Yankton |
| 1905–1908 | Morningside |
| 1908–1918 | Drake |
| 1922–1944 | Big Ten (commissioner) |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 49–31–7 (football, excluding Yankton) |
John Lorenzo Griffith (August 20, 1877 – December 7, 1944) was an American football, basketball, and baseball player, track athlete, coach, and college athletics administrator. He served as the first commissioner of the Big Ten Conference from 1922 until his death in 1944.
Griffith attended Beloit College where he competed on the varsity football, baseball, basketball, and track and field teams.