On Monday, Paul Griffin handed over control of the Georgia Tech athletic department to Todd Stansbury. He closed his interim tenure rather impressively.
In his final week-plus as Georgia Tech interim AD, Griffin presided over one of the more successful all-department runs that the school has likely known.
Football — Defeated Virginia on Nov. 19 on Senior Day and then Georgia on Saturday, the latter with a comeback that will have its place in team history. Cornerback Lance Austin was named ACC defensive back of the week Monday for the second week in a row.
Men's basketball — Beat Sam Houston State 81-73 on Tuesday and then Tulane 82-68 on Saturday, the latter behind guard Josh Okogie's 38 points, which set a school single-game scoring record for freshmen. He was named ACC rookie of the week Monday.
Women's basketball — Ended a five-game losing streak to Georgia on Nov. 20 with a 52-45 win at McCamish Pavilion, then defeated Dayton and Missouri (an NCAA tournament team last season) in the Junkanoo Jam in the Bahamas to improve to 6-0. After scoring 40 points in the two games, freshman guard Francesca Pan was named tournament MVP and Monday was chosen as ACC rookie of the week.
Volleyball — Defeated Notre Dame on Nov. 19 on Senior Day and Miami on Wednesday, the Hurricanes for the first time since 2011. The Jackets nearly pulled a road upset Friday, falling in five sets to No. 16 Florida State. The team finished the season at 24-8, its most wins since 2004. On Sunday, though, the Jackets learned they were left out of the NCAA tournament — it would have been their first appearance since 2009. They had the second-highest RPI rating of any team left out of the field. On Monday, however, outside hitter Teegan Van Gunst was named to the All-ACC first team for the second year in a row.
After AD Mike Bobinski left Tech for Purdue in August, Griffin came out of retirement at the behest of school president G.P. “Bud” Peterson to serve as interim AD for the second time. The first followed the 2012 departure of Dan Radakovich for Clemson, which prompted the January 2013 hiring of Mike Bobinski. A respected figure in the department, Griffin seemed quite ready to get back to retirement with wife Maureen.
As he waited for the news conference at Sanford Stadium following the Jackets’ 28-27 win over Georgia, it was suggested to Griffin that perhaps Stansbury would want him to stick around.
Griffin responded, “It’s gonna cost him.”
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