Johnny Griffith

News Obituary Listing

Johnny Griffith, 78, of Duluth died Monday.

The funeral will be noon Wednesday at Duluth First United Methodist Church. Burial will be in Arlington Memorial Park, Atlanta.

The family will receive friends from 1 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. today at Bill Head Funeral Home, Duluth.

Mr. Griffith was head football coach at the University of Georgia from 1961 to 1963, succeeding Wallace Butts and preceding Vince Dooley. He then was an assistant for Bobby Dodd at Georgia Tech.

Mr. Griffith attended Boys High of Atlanta. After serving in the U.S. Navy in World War II (1943-46), he was a substitute halfback as a freshman on the Bulldogs' undefeated, untied team of 1946. He transferred to South Georgia Junior College and was a junior-college All-America at halfback in 1947. He returned to UGA, lettering in football and track and earning a business degree in 1949.

He was head football coach at South Georgia and assistant coach at Georgia and Furman.

After coaching, he entered business and retired in 1989 as president of Davidson Mineral Products. He was a representative for the Georgia Crushed Stone Association and chairman of the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame, which inducted him in 1997. He was on the hall's board of directors at the time of his death.

He supported high school athletics and held an annual golf tournament to raise money for Duluth High School athletic facilities.

Survivors include his wife, Wanda B. Griffith of St. Simons Island; five children, John L. "Buzzy" Griffith and Ginger Summerville, both of Duluth, Robert L. Griffith of Dacula, Susan Bond of Greensboro and Georgia Griffith of Alpharetta; and 10 grandchildren.

Memorial gifts can be sent to South Georgia College, College Foundation Athletics, attention Tom Smith, 100 W. College Park Drive, Douglas GA 31533.