Jon Griffith among BHS Alumni & Friends Foundation Hall of Fame Inductees
By Connect-Bridgeport Staff on September 07, 2023
The Bridgeport High School Alumni & Friends Hall of Fame Banquet will be held Saturday, Oct. 7 at the “O” by Oliverio’s. Social hour starts at 6 p.m. with dinner and introductions of inductees beginning at 7 p.m.
Among this year’s honorees is Jon Griffith, who for more than 30 years taught and coached track/cross country at BHS. He is currently a member of Bridgeport City Council and is extremely active in the community. He works as the head referee for the West Virginia State Track & Field Championships and is a founding member of the Derek Hotsinpiller Fallen Stars 5K Race Committee. Griffith also writes a blog for Connect-Bridgeport.
Griffith was born in Charleston and grew up in South Charleston. He graduated from South Charleston High School, where he played football and ran track. He went on to attend West Virginia University, earning a bachelor’s degree in chemistry.
“Not thrilled at the prospect of working day in and day out in a laboratory, I enrolled at Fairmont State, where I received my secondary education teaching certification, thereby allowing me to pursue both of my passions: Science and sports,” he said.
During his teaching tenure at BHS, Griffith covered several courses: Chemistry, environmental science, physical science, earth science, computer information, and computer programming. He held long stints as the school’s science department chairperson, website manager, and network administrator. He served as head coach for boys track & field for 32 years, head coach for girls and boys cross country for 13 years, assistant freshman football coach for seven years, and head freshman football coach for 10 years.
“It was an honor and privilege to work with so many great athletes and families,” he said. “With their help, during my tenure, we constructed a modern track and field venue, a new concession stand, and a permanent cross-country course.”
Under his coaching, BHS athletic teams were quite successful. They achieved a combined 49 county championships, 29 Big 10 Conference championships, 24 regional championships, four state runner-up finishes, and five state championships. He was named Big 10 Conference Coach of the Year 19 times, WV State Coach of the Year three times, and NFHS National Midwest Sectional Coach of the Year twice.
Griffith said much of his success is a direct result of his supportive family. His wife Heidi, a former BHS teacher and Harrison County Board of Education administrator, is now a corporate trainer for Agile 5 Technologies.
Griffith has four successful children, all BHS graduates. Benjamin is a network cloud engineer for Leidos, Jonathan is a veterinarian at A Step Up Veterinary Clinic in Bethel Park outside of Pittsburgh, Jacob is the Associate City Engineer for the City of Bridgeport, and Marinda is a traveling Radiology Technician. His two daughters-in-law, Megan and Ashton, are also graduates of BHS. The former Ashton Nestor is married to Jacob. The former Megan Thorne is married to Ben. Ben and Megan are the parents of Ryan, the Griffiths’ first grandchild.
The BHS Hall of Fame is open to BHS graduates and non-BHS graduates. Alumnae must have benefited society or the community in which they live, excelled in their chosen field, or directly contributed to BHS through time or talent. Those not graduating from BHS must have directly benefited BHS through time or talent. Nominees are accepted by the public and voted upon by BHS Alumni & Friends Foundation board of directors.
Also being inducted into the Hall of Fame Oct. 7 are Gregory Brown, Phil Dye, and past Lt. Col. Frank Jenio, Jr. Stories on each honoree will be posted to Connect-Bridgeport in the next few weeks.
The banquet and all fundraisers held throughout the year benefit the foundation's scholarship fund, which has provided thousands of dollars to BHS seniors to be used toward their higher education goals.
The Oct. 7 banquet menu will feature an Italian entree, sides, salad, and bread. Cake will also be served. Tickets are $60 each. Purchase HERE.
The inductees will also be honored at the Friday, Oct. 6 BHS football game at Wayne Jamison Field.
