Dennis ‘Griff’ Griffin was legendary high school football coach with big heart
Dennis Griffin was synonymous with football in Hamilton.
A legend on the sidelines for five decades, Griffin was associated with numerous high school, junior, senior and university teams. He coached such teams as the Hamilton Hurricanes, Stoney Creek Patriots, Hamilton Wildcats, Brantford Bisons, Oakville Longhorns, plus high school teams at Glendale, Hill Park and Southmount.
Griffin — who died at age 76 on Nov. 14 — won many championships and helped students land football scholarships for university and careers in the CFL, including Ticat defensive line coach Dennis McPhee and former Cat receiver Trevor Shaw.
Known as “Griff,” he was a contemporary of such other well-known Hamilton high school football coaches as Ed Turek, Phil Ruberto, Tom Gallagher and John McPhee.
His partner in arms and close friend was George Knill. They coached the Hurricanes, Patriots and Wildcats together and faced off across the fields as coaches at different high schools. They were honoured in 2010 by the Hurricanes for a combined 80 years of football experience. Knill, who taught math, died Aug. 21 at the age of 79.
“(Griffin) always had the best interest of the athletes at heart,” said McPhee, who first met the coach in Grade 13 in 1975, at Southmount, when “Griff” melded boys from five Hamilton Mountain high schools into a winning team.
“He tried to get you to do the right thing for the right reasons. He could be loud, sarcastic or offer affirmation. He knew what buttons to push to motivate you. You knew he cared about you.”
McPhee, 60, said Griffin was so well thought of that former players kept in contact with him. He said for years between 20 and 30 players would drop by Griffin’s home Christmas Eve to visit with him and his wife. He said he saw the coach every month at a get together at the West Town on Locke Street, “where we sit in the backroom and remember all the old football stories.” He last saw him a few days before his death.
One thing many may not have known is that Griffin played the violin, hampered a bit by a football injury.
“It was something he really loved,” McPhee added. “He wasn’t just a football guy.”
Griffin grew up on Bolan Court on the east Mountain and was the son of Sanford and June Griffin. His father was an engineer at Stelco who died about 1978. Griffin played guard, fullback and linebacker for Hill Park Secondary, the Burlington Braves and McMaster Marauders. He captained the Mac squad and earned all-star honours.
Griffin pondered a pro career with the Montreal Alouettes before deciding against it.
“I was thinking about it (going professional), but when you’re five-foot-eight and a guard, who are you going to play with?” he told The Spectator in 1989.
Instead, he became a phys-ed teacher and started coaching in 1966. He coached every year after that, and sometimes he coached two and three different-level football teams in a single season. In the 1990s, he served as viceprincipal at Scott Park and Sir Winston Churchill high schools.
“The high school game is the best one to coach,” he told The Spec in 1985. “You really have control over the high school kids, especially if you’re a teacher at the school. I know who is going to be at practice every day.”
He called legendary Green Bay Packer coach Vince Lombardi one of his most admired people.
“I hope I’m enthusiastic,” Griffin said. “I try to give the impression that I care about what’s going on. I probably get more back than what I give to the kids in coaching.”
Griffin became head coach of the Hurricanes of the Ontario Football Conference in 1984 and stepped down in 1990. He returned to coach the Hamilton Wildcats (his second time) of the Northern Football Conference in 1995. In later years, he became an executive member of the Steel City Bowl high school all-star game and served in a variety of roles with the Ticats.
In 2003, he was inducted into the NFC Football Hall of Fame. He was also one of the first inducted into the Glendale Secondary School Athletics Hall of Fame in 2011.
Griffin is survived by his wife, Bonnie, two daughters, a son, five grandchildren and a brother. He was predeceased by a son.