Harold Griffin (American football)
{{Short description|American football player}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2019}}
{{Infobox college football player
| name = Harold Griffin
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| school = Florida Gators
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| currentposition = Halfback
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| birth_date = c. 1929
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| weight_lb = 165
| highlights = * NCAA punt return leader (1946)
| highschool = Hillsborough (Tampa, FL)
| pastschools = Florida (1946–1949)
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Harold Griffin (born c. 1929) is a former American football player. He played college football as a back for the Florida Gators football team. He led the NCAA major college players in 1946 with an average of 20.1 yards per punt return and set an unofficial national collegiate record with an average of 26.7 yards per return in 1947.
Early years
Griffin grew up in Tampa, Florida, and attended Hillsborough High School where he was selected as an All-Southern high school player in 1945.{{cite news|title=All-Southern Prep|newspaper=Kingsport (Tenn.) Times-News|date=December 23, 1946|page=6|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/29436976/?terms=%22harold%2Bgriffin%22%2Bflorida%2Bfootball}}{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1964&dat=19451223&id=qHcyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ybYFAAAAIBAJ&pg=3850,6187405&hl=en|work=The Palm Beach Post|date=December 23, 1945|title=Two Tampa Football Players Awarded Berths On All-Southern Prep Squad}}{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=950&dat=19451215&id=_-JPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=JVUDAAAAIBAJ&pg=1398,1033260&hl=en|title=All Big-Ten|date=December 15, 1945|work=The Evening Independent}}
University of Florida
Griffin enrolled at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, after first enrolling at Auburn University.{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1964&dat=19460420&id=KH4yAAAAIBAJ&sjid=rLYFAAAAIBAJ&pg=5976,1706626&hl=en|title=Hillsborouh Grid Star Changes Mind|work=The Palm Beach Post|date=April 20, 1946}} He shared the Gators' backfield with Chuck Hunsinger from 1946 to 1949.{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1755&dat=19461004&id=zOMcAAAAIBAJ&sjid=nmQEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2920,299616&hl=en|date=October 4, 1946|title=Gators Entrain For Tilt With Tulane|work=Sarasota Herald-Tribune}}{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=950&dat=19470910&id=ZmpIAAAAIBAJ&sjid=IlUDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2249,2809777&hl=en|date=September 1947|title=Gators To Start Secret Practices|work=The Evening Independent}} As a freshman in 1946, he led all NCAA major college players with an average of 20.1 yards per punt return.{{cite web|title=Football Bowl Subdivision Records|publisher=NCAA|page=72|year=2015|url=http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_records/2015/fbs.pdf}} On October 19, 1946, he returned a punt 98 yards down the right sideline for a touchdown in Florida's homecoming game against Miami.{{cite news|title=Miami Comes From Behind To Defeat Florida, 20-13|newspaper=Sarasota Herald-Tribune|date=October 20, 1946|page=11|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1755&dat=19461020&id=2OMcAAAAIBAJ&sjid=nmQEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2570,1527552&hl=en}}{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1964&dat=19461020&id=idgiAAAAIBAJ&sjid=GMwFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1406,1567292&hl=en|date=October 20, 1946|title=State '11' Held Lead At Half|work=The Palm Beach Post}} He returned another punt 87 yards during the 1946 season,{{cite news|title=Dangerous Anywhere|newspaper=The Monroe News-Star|date=September 26, 1947|page=13|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/3578992/dangerous_anywhere/}} and on November 23, 1946, he ran 73 yards for Florida's only touchdown against NC State.{{cite news|title=Florida Gators Lose To Wolfpack|newspaper=Cumberland Sunday Times|date=November 24, 1946|page=30|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/3578836/florida_gators_lose_to_wolfpack/}}
As a sophomore in 1947, Griffin reportedly set a new national record with an average of 26.7 yards per punt return, including returns of 67 and 90 yards.{{cite news|title=Net Returns|newspaper=Council Bluffs (Iowa) Nonpareil|date=October 10, 1948|page=37|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/3579052/net_returns/}}(Note: The NCAA does not recognize Griffin's 26.7 yard average in 1947, presumably because he did not have enough returns. The NCAA record book recognizes Gene Derricotte as the 1947 with an average of 24.8 yard per punt return in 1947.) On November 14, 1947, he also returned a punt 46 yards with two minutes remaining in the game to set up the Gators' tying touchdown against Tulane.{{cite news|title=Tulane, Florida Scrap To Tie In Action-Packed Game|newspaper=Monroe Morning World|date=November 16, 1947|page=10|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/3578888/tulane_florida_scrap_to_tie/}} On October 1, 1949, he returned a punt 61 yards for a touchdown in a victory over Tulsa.{{cite news|title=Florida Dumps Tulsans, 40-7|newspaper=Miami (Okla.) Daily News-Record|date=October 2, 1949|page=5|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/3578951/florida_dumps_tulsans/}}
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Griffin, Harold}}
Category:American football halfbacks