The Ballad of Bill Griffin
One of Walker County’s most successful high school basketball coaches
Words by Nick Norris | Images by Justin Hunter
In today’s social-media-driven world, there is an overabundance of self-proclaimed role models who make a living telling today’s youth that they have the keys to success. Unfortunately, few of those are fit to be influencing anyone, especially teenagers.
But there are still sound individuals who are apt to influence new generations - role models who have earned the trust of those who look up to them and who do their best to guide younger generations to becoming successful and wholesome adults. For athletes, few adults make as much of an impact on their teen years as their coaches.
Bill Griffin recognizes this and has dedicated his life to helping young men grow into the best version of themselves, both on and off the basketball court.
“I try to teach my players that if you work hard and work together, you will be successful,” the former high school coach says. “And those are things that you can carry on into the real world, your marriage, your job.”
Though you wouldn’t hear the humble coach acknowledge it himself, Griffin is somewhat of a local sports legend.
The Walker County Sports Hall of Famer has shaped not only the lives of his many players but also the landscape of Alabama high school sports since landing his first head coaching job at Dora High School in 1982.
Griffin became a respected name during his time with the Bulldogs, leading the boys’ basketball team to the state tournament in 1990 and 1991, the school’s first appearances in over 30 years. Dora then won the county tournament three years in a row, in ’92, ’93, and ’94. And in 1995, the Bulldogs made it to the Final Four.
The now-proven and well-respected coach moved to Gardendale High School in 1996, and it wouldn’t be long before he reached the semi-finals once again.
“Our ’98-’99 team went 31-3, and we reached the Final Four,” Griffin reminisces. “The next year, we went 29-5 before losing in the regional finals. In the following years, we made it to the regionals two more times and won the county tournament twice.”
After 33 years, Griffin officially retired in 2008. But he wasn’t ready to walk away just yet.
In 2011, Griffin agreed to become the next boys’ basketball head coach at Sumiton Christian High School. And during his nine seasons with the Eagles, the coach found success once again.
During his tenure at SCHS, Griffin had four 20-win seasons. He took the Eagles to the regionals twice, the only appearances in school history.
In 2020, Griffin stepped down as the head coach at Sumiton Christian, ending his head coaching journey that began 44 years prior. He retired with 663 career wins in varsity boys’ basketball, making a total of 798 wins across all of his coaching endeavors.
Despite Griffin’s numerous accomplishments, the long-time coach prefers to pass the credit on to those around him.
“I’ve been blessed with really good players, really good people to work with,” Griffin says. “I’ve had a good administration in every school that helped in any way they could. And most importantly, it comes down to the players. I never scored a basket in one of those games. I just tried to put them in the best positions to be successful.”
Now, the coach can usually be found spending time with family or out on the golf course. He and his wife of fifty years, Janet, enjoy spending time with their children and grandchildren.
“I’m still blessed,” Griffin says cheerfully. “I’m blessed to be healthy. Blessed with my family. Everything’s going good.”
Bill Griffin has succeeded in several aspects of life: on the court, as a father, and as a husband.
Those lucky enough to have had him as a coach were even luckier to have him as a role model. 78