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Shawn Griffin
Just the fifth man to guide the Hobart soccer program, Shawn Griffin is entering his 22nd year at the helm. Prior to joining the Statesmen in 2000, Griffin spent nine seasons on the soccer staff at Plymouth State (N.H.) University, including eight as head coach.
In 20 seasons in Geneva, Griffin has compiled a 217-123-43 overall record. Under his watchful eye, Hobart has won three Liberty League tournament titles (2009, 2017 and 2019) and made seven of the program's eight NCAA tournament appearances. The Statesmen have won 10+ games 13 times under Griffin.
An outstanding motivator and recruiter, Griffin was tabbed the 2008 National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Northeast Region Coach of the Year, and was named the Liberty League Coach of the Year in 2003, 2006 and 2017. He has mentored 95 All-Liberty League selections, including two players of the year, Dan Riso (2008) and Micke Subotowicz (2003), and four rookies of the year, Farid Hafsia (2003), Jacob Fox (2012), Charlie Kelly (2013) and Nick Kriak (2018).
Griffin's charges have also excelled on the classroom earning 114 Liberty League All-Academic selections. His student-athletes have earned four academic All-American awards from CoSIDA.
Building Hobart soccer into a national power, Griffin's recruiting efforts and contacts have attracted players from across the United States and countries such as Chile, Guatemala, France, Germany, Netherlands, Scotland, Switzerland, and Sweden.
Griffin guided Hobart to a 14-5-2 record in 2019. The Statesmen went 6-2-1 in Liberty League play, finishing second in conference standings. Hobart defeated Clarkson 2-1 to claim its second Liberty League tournament title in three years. The Statesmen earned their eighth appearance in the NCAA tournament.
Hobart posted an 8-8-2 overall record in 2018. The Statesmen were 5-3-1 in the Liberty League. Hobart earned the No. 4 seed in the Liberty League tournament. In the semifinals, the Statesmen took top-seeded St. Lawrence to double overtime before falling 3-2. It was Hobart's fifth-straight trip to the Liberty League tournament.
In 2017, the Statesmen finished the year with an 11-5-4 overall record and a 6-0-3 mark in the Liberty League. It was the program's 12th straight winning season. The Statesmen won the Liberty League regular season title and captured their first Liberty League Tournament title since 2009. Hobart made its seventh appearance in the NCAA tournament, advancing to the second round.
Griffin led Hobart to a 9-5-4 overall record in 2016. The Statesmen went 6-1-1 in the Liberty League securing the conference regular season title for the first time since 2008. Hobart played to overtime in 10 games, one shy of the NCAA season record, posting a 6-0-4 record in those games.
Hobart posted a 13-3-2 overall record in 2016 under Griffin's guidance, logging its 10th straight winning season. The Statesmen went 5-1-2 in the Liberty League, finishing second in the conference standings and earning a spot in the Liberty League tournament for the second year in a row. Hobart tallied the program's most wins since 2011 (16-4-0).
In 2015, Griffin led the Statesmen to a 12-5-3 overall record. Hobart earned a spot in the Liberty League tournament and took top-ranked St. Lawrence to two overtimes before falling 1-0 in a tournament semifinal. The Statesmen finished with an 11-8-1 overall record in 2013 and in 2012 finished the year with a 10-6-0 overall mark.
In 2011, Griffin led the Statesmen to their fifth NCAA Tournament berth in six years. Hobart notched a 16-4-0 overall record and a 6-2-0 mark in Liberty League play. The Statesmen's 16 victories put them second on the Hobart list for wins in a season, and the Statesmen earned an at-large bid into the NCAA tournament, their sixth appearance in program history.
In 2010, Hobart posted a 7-6-4 overall record, for the program's fifth consecutive winning season. In 2009, Griffin led Hobart to the its first Liberty League Championship and fourth straight NCAA Tournament berth. The Statesmen posted a 15-4-2 overall record after advancing to the second round of the NCAA tournament.
In 2008, Griffin led the Statesmen to a record-breaking season. Hobart posted an 18-1-3 record, setting new program standards for wins in a season (18) and longest unbeaten streak (21). The Statesmen won the Liberty League regular season title, earned the program’s third straight NCAA Tournament berth (fourth overall), and advanced the the third round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history. Nationally ranked in the top-10 for the majority of the season, Hobart finished the campaign at No. 12.
Griffin led Hobart to a pair of NCAA Tournament bids in 2006 and 2007 as well. In 2007, the Statesmen dispatched Fredonia 3-0 in the first round, marking Hobart's first NCAA Tournament win. The Statesmen ranked 20th in the final national poll.
In 2006, Griffin guided the Statesmen to an unbeaten 5-0-2 record in the Liberty League. The Statesmen were nationally ranked all season long, climbing as high as seventh, and advanced on penalty kicks to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history. They finished the year as the 19th-ranked team in the country.
Griffin holds a premier diploma coaching license from the NSCAA and was selected as the NSCAA’s New England Region Coach of the Year in 1998. During his tenure at Plymouth, Griffin was named the Little East Conference Coach of the Year four times.
A 1988 graduate of Plymouth State, Griffin played on three NCAA Tournament teams, including the 1983 Division III national semifinalists team, helping the Panthers amass a 52-14-16 (.732) record. As head coach, he led Plymouth State to the NCAA Division III Tournament in 1995, 1997, and 1998, and to the ECAC Tournament in 1993, 1994, and 1999. He coached six national All-Americans and seven Little East Conference Player of the Year recipients while at PSU. Griffin was inducted into the Plymouth State Hall of Fame in October of 2019.
Overall, Griffin has compiled a career record of 309-168-52 (.633) in 29 years as a head coach. He has mentored 59 United Soccer Coaches All-Region and 148 all-conference selections.
Griffin lives in Geneva with his wife, Carol, and their three children, Olivia, Connor, and Emily '24. Emily is a member of William Smith's lacrosse team.
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