My name is Damon Griffin, and I am a 2-Time All-Pac 10 Wide Receiver from the University of Oregon. My post-collegiate career includes four years in the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers, Cincinnati Bengals, and the 2001 NFC Champion St Louis Rams. After suffering a career ending injury, I set my sights on mentoring to young athletes as they began the long road to following their dreams. In the years following my NFL career, I coached for Boise State University as a Defensive Graduate Assistant. In my two years on the coaching staff, we had a 26-1 record, and became the 2010 BCS Fiesta Bowl Champions and 2011 Las Vegas Bowl Champions.
Many believed I reached my ultimate goal after playing in the Super Bowl, but in actuality my ultimate goal as a young athlete was to earn a full athletic scholarship.
At just 5’9 and 140 pounds in high school, I was a student athlete with big hopes and dreams for a teenager of my stature and I knew the odds were against me. If my build weren’t a big enough obstacle , I played for Monrovia High School- a lower division school with a combined winning record of 8-12 my senior year. Needless to say, recruiters weren’t knocking down my door, but I knew if university coaches saw my ability I would win their confidence. It wasn’t until I played a team with a roster filled with All American athletes, that my talents were noticed.
Fortuitously, the best game of my high school career was also the day that college recruiters were in attendance.
Immediately following that game, I began receiving calls from various universities. Much to my disappointment, the calls came to an end and no offers were made. In a few weeks time I was contacted by a University of Oregon recruiter expressing interest in me, although they had yet to receive any film or transcripts. Bewildered and excited, I approached my high school coach for answers. When asked about Oregon’s interest in me, my high school coach looked me in the eye and replied, “I’m not sending film of you to Division 1 schools because I don’t think you’re good enough.” Determined to prove my worth,that same night I grabbed my films, made a highlight reel, and sent it out to numerous universities. I received 12 offers after that and the rest is history.
My personal struggles in achieving my dreams are why I’m passionate about Integrity Sports Recruiting.
Like many things in life, perception is reality. In the process of recruiting intercollegiate athletes, many opportunities are made and lost because of the opinions of coaches, recruiters, and other staff close to student athletes. While these members of the sports community are to be respected, I know from first hand knowledge that all too often able-bodied athletes slip through the cracks. I never want a student-athlete who has earned an opportunity through good character on and off the field, to have to get lucky like I did. If you have passion and you believe in yourself anything is possible, and the opportunity to play the game you love while earning a scholarship should never be unattainable.
With Integrity Sports Recruiting, my objective is to give an opportunity to student-athletes who have what I call the “full package”: a high passion for sports, great character, athletic ability, and good grades, that give them the ability to receive partial or full scholarships. While certain schools and conferences are ranked higher than others, my ultimate goal is to match students with the university that best matches their wants and needs rather than with schools with the most notoriety. I aim to achieve this level of custom development through targeted exposure, training, and the aid of my coaching network. Through this plan, I believe that I can guide young athletes towards a path that allows them to achieve their personal goals while securing the scholarships they want and need.
