Harry Griffith (Canadian football)
{{Short description|Canadian gridiron football coach (1878–1960)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2024}}
{{Infobox CFL biography
| name = Harry Griffith
| image = File:1909, Coach Harry Griffith.jpg
| image_upright =
| caption = Griffith in 1909
| position = Quarterback
| birth_date = {{birth date|1878|9|19}}
| birth_place = Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| death_date = {{death date and age|1960|12|9|1878|9|19}}
| death_place = Toronto, Ontario, Canada{{cite news|title=Did you know |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OI0tAAAAIBAJ&dq=Harry+Griffith+grey+cup&pg=PA36&article_id=3924,2120479 |publisher=The Montreal Gazette |page=36 |date=December 10, 1960 |access-date=August 5, 2024}}
| height_ft =
| height_in =
| weight_lb =
| playing_years1=
| playing_team1=
| coaching_years1=1899–1907
| coaching_team1=Ridley College
| coaching_team2=Toronto Varsity
(Head coach)
| coaching_years3=1911–1949
| coaching_team3=Ridley College
| career_highlights = *2× Grey Cup champion (1909, 1910)
| CFHOF = dr-harry-crawford-griffith/
}}
Harry Crawford Griffith (September 19, 1878 – December 9, 1960) was a Canadian football player, coach, and administrator who was the head coach of the Toronto Varsity for three seasons and also served as president of the Canadian Rugby Union. He won the first two Grey Cup games as head coach of Toronto Varsity and served as a coach and headmaster for Ridley College. He was an inaugural member of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame and was inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame.
Early life
Griffith attended Ridley College in St. Catharines where he played at quarterback for the school's football team.{{cite web|url=https://cfhof.ca/members/dr-harry-crawford-griffith/ |title=Dr. Harry Crawford Griffith |publisher=Canadian Football Hall of Fame |access-date=August 5, 2024}}{{cite web|url=https://www.sportshall.ca/hall-of-famers/hall-of-famers-search.html?proID=164&lang=EN |title=Harry Griffith |publisher=Canada's Sports Hall of Fame |access-date=August 5, 2024}} He later attended Trinity College in Toronto where continued to play at quarterback.
Coaching career
After obtaining his degree from Trinity College, Griffith returned to Ridley College in 1899 where he was a teacher and a coach. After developing his coaching style with the Ridley football team, he joined the Toronto Varsity football team as their head coach in 1907 while working for Trinity College as a French professor. In 1908, he led Varsity to an Intercollegiate Rugby Football Union Yates Cup championship, but lost the 1908 Dominion Championship to the Hamilton Tigers.{{cite news|title=Tigers defeated Varsity; now Canadian champions |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=QBJtjoHflPwC&dat=19081130&printsec=frontpage&hl=en |publisher=Ottawa Citizen |page=5 |date=November 30, 1908 |access-date=August 5, 2024}}
In 1909, Griffith led Varsity to a 6–0 regular season record, capturing their second consecutive Intercollegiate title, and appearing in their second consecutive Dominion Championship and the first to be awarded the Grey Cup.{{cite news|title=Toronto 'Varsity Won Rugby Honors|url=https://news.google.ca/newspapers?id=oesiAAAAIBAJ&sjid=In8FAAAAIBAJ&pg=5771%2C2702557|publisher=The Montreal Gazette|page=4 of 16|date=November 29, 1909|access-date=August 5, 2024}} He led Varsity to a definitive 26–6 victory over Toronto Parkdale to claim a victory in the 1st Grey Cup.{{cite news|title=Varsity disposed of Ontario champions by 26 points to 6 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=0p0uAAAAIBAJ&sjid=5tgFAAAAIBAJ&pg=7282%2C1953713 |publisher=Ottawa Citizen |page=8 |date=December 6, 1909 |access-date=August 5, 2024}} In the following season, Griffith again led Varsity to an undefeated season, as the team repeated as Grey Cup champions and defeated the Hamilton Tigers in the 2nd Grey Cup by a score of 16–7.{{cite news|title=Toronto University team wins the Canadian championship |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=QBJtjoHflPwC&dat=19101128&printsec=frontpage&hl=en |publisher=Ottawa Citizen |page=8 |date=December 6, 1909 |access-date=August 5, 2024}}{{cite web|url=https://static.cfl.ca/wp-content/uploads/2050/11/2024-CFL-Guide-Digital.pdf |title=2024 CFL Guide |publisher=Canadian Football League |access-date=August 5, 2024}}
Griffith returned to Ridley College in 1911 and, over his new tenure with the school, coached the Ridley football team to 22 Little Big Four titles.{{cite news|title=Argonauts play Rough Riders at Rosedale, 3 P.M. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N4FMAAAAIBAJ&dq=varsity+Griffith&pg=PA5&article_id=3770,3199121 |publisher=The Toronto World |page=5 |date=October 21, 1911 |access-date=August 5, 2024}} He was also involved with the school's rugby and cricket teams. In 1913, he served as president of the Canadian Rugby Union and was also on the rules committee where he contributed to many rule changes and coaching techniques to improve the game of football. In 1932, he was appointed headmaster at Ridley College.
Legacy
As a football coach, Griffith was known for his teams' preparation and conditioning and for his innovative coaching techniques.{{cite news|title=Great team will scatter |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aaouAAAAIBAJ&dq=Harry+Griffith&pg=PA8&article_id=6527,4629261 |publisher=Ottawa Citizen |page=8 |date=November 8, 1910 |access-date=August 5, 2024}} He was also an early pioneer of the no-huddle offense and lateral passing attacks. He developed many outstanding football players at both Ridley College and University of Toronto. He was also one of the first people honored at a Grey Cup dinner in 1960 for his contributions to football.{{cite news|title=C.R.U. Honors Two Footballers |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vS9kAAAAIBAJ&dq=Harry+Griffith+grey+cup&pg=PA35&article_id=5192,5256372 |publisher=The Toronto World |page=35 |date=November 28, 1953 |access-date=August 5, 2024}} Following his death shortly after that dinner, Griffith was an inaugural member of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1963 and was inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 1975.
References
{{reflist}}
{{1st Grey Cup}}
{{2nd Grey Cup}}
{{Toronto Varsity Blues football coach navbox}}
{{Canadian Football Hall of Fame members}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Griffith, Harry}}
Category:Canadian football people from Hamilton, Ontario