20-year veteran of the Okaloosa County School District to lead the Eagles

Niceville High School will have a new Athletic Director for the 2022-2023 school year. The Okaloosa County School Board unanimously approved Daniel Griffin’s installation in the Eagles’ top spot.ย 

Griffin comes to NHS from across the campus on Partin Drive – where he was the weightlifting and assistant football coach for the Ruckel Rams. He grew up in Okaloosa County and graduated from Okaloosa County Schools.ย 

A statement from Mr. Griffin, who was unable to attend the School Board meeting, said he, โ€œis extremely grateful for the opportunity to serve as Niceville High Schoolโ€™s next athletic director,โ€ and wanted to thank the superintendent and school board for their confidence in him to lead.ย 

Niceville High School Logo
Niceville High School Eagles Logo

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Background: Who is Daniel Griffin?

Griffin has served in his post at Ruckel since 2019 and helped to lead the 2020 Ruckel Rams team to a county title in football.ย 

Before he became an educator, Griffin graduated from Fort Walton Beach High School where he and the Viking football team won a state championship in 1991. Griffin went on to play football at Troy University, thanks to a full scholarship.ย 

Griffin has a B.S. in Sports Administration and an M.S. in Exercise Science from Troy University in Troy, Alabama.ย 

According to his bio on the Ruckel Middle School website, Griffin, โ€œhas a passion for working with kids in the weight room to increase overall athletic performance and strength.โ€ The biography also notes Griffin โ€œloves spending time with his wife outside at the beach and on the water.โ€

Griffin will replace Grant Thompson as Athletic Director at Niceville High School.

Mid Bay News

A drone view of the activity on Boggy Bayou before the annual fireworks festival put on every year by the cities of Niceville  and Valparaiso.