May 10, 2013
THE FLATS – Georgia Tech has added a former college head coach and one of the school’s all-time greatest football players to the Yellow Jacket staff.
Matt Griffin, who previously served as head football coach at Tennessee-Martin and at Murray State, will serve as director of player personnel. Joe Hamilton, considered one of Tech’s greatest players and the runner-up for the 1999 Heisman Trophy, begins his duties as a recruiting assistant with the Yellow Jackets.
“Matt brings a wealth of experience, having been a college head coach,” Georgia Tech head coach Paul Johnson said. “He has great relationships with high school coaches and I think he will be a great addition to our staff.
“Joe is one of the all-time greats at Georgia Tech,” Johnson said. “We are excited to have some of our former players back, working at a place they love.”
The hiring of Griffin and Hamilton mark the first wave of a revamping of Georgia Tech’s player personnel and recruiting coordination efforts. Two assistant directors of player personnel and additional interns will be named in the coming weeks.
Griffin comes to Georgia Tech after serving last season as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Omaha Nighthawks of the UFL. Previously, he spent two years with the Jacksonville Jaguars as an offensive assistant in 2010 and offense quality control in 2011. He served as head coach at Tennessee-Martin from 2003 to 2006, and at Murray State from 2007 to 2009.
Prior to Griffin’s arrival at UT-Martin, the Skyhawks had not won a conference game in six years. Under Griffin, the team improved to 4-4 in the Ohio Valley Conference and 6-5 overall in 2005 – the Skyhawks’ first winning season since 1993. Following the ’05 season, Griffin was named the state of Tennessee’s College Football Coach of the Year by the Tennessee Sports Writers Association.
Prior to working as a head coach, Griffin was on the staff at Maine from 1999-02, coaching the tight ends in 1999, and the offensive line from 2000-02. He also served as recruiting coordinator for the Black Bears in 2002. From 1992 through 1998, Griffin worked as an assistant coach at Plymouth State (1992-93), Richmond (1994), Northeastern (1995-96) and UT-Martin (1997-98).
A 1992 New Hampshire graduate, Griffin and wife, Lisa, have three children – Molly, Cullen and Garrett.
Hamilton enjoyed a spectacular career as a four-year starter at quarterback for the Yellow Jackets from 1996-99. Georgia Tech’s all-time leader in total offense (10,640 yards), Hamilton won the prestigious Davey O’Brien Award as the nation’s top quarterback and finished second to Wisconsin’s Ron Dayne in the voting for the 1999 Heisman Trophy.
Playing under then-head coach George O’Leary, Hamilton guided Tech to consecutive bowl victories and back-to-back wins over in-state rival Georgia.
Hamilton returns to his alma mater after serving the previous two years as an assistant coach under Bill Curry at Georgia State. Curry, who retired following the 2012 season, previously served as Tech’s head coach and he was a standout player for the Yellow Jackets.
