MADISON - It didn’t take Shane Griffith long to choose a career.

“I always knew I wanted to be the football coach at Scott High School,” he said.

Griffith isn’t kidding. He wrote an essay on his dream job for one of his classes at Madison Middle School.

“I will never forget it,” Griffith said, “because the teacher told me that wasn’t a very high aspiration.”

Scott, the teacher told him, never would win consistently.

“I used that as motivation for years,” he said. “There were a lot of people who felt that way.”

And all of them were wrong.

Griffith has compiled a 46-29 record in seven seasons at his alma mater. He will begin his eighth season at 7:30 p.m. Friday when Scott will visit Roane County for a Class AA clash.

The Skyhawks have made the state playoffs six times, including four consecutive appearances under Griffith, 35, a husband (Jennifer) and father of two (Alexia and Taylor). They lost in the second round the past two years.

“Every time you kick one wall down, there is always another wall built so far down the line just waiting for you,” Griffith said. “I love when people tell me something is impossible. It’s a moment to be cherished.

“You can’t have day without night. So, if something is impossible, there must be a possibility somewhere. That’s what I try to tell these young men. Those are some of the greatest moments and opportunities in their lives, when they have a chance to find that slimmest of possibilities and accomplish it.”

Griffith played quarterback and safety for the Skyhawks.

He was penciled in as the starter at both positions in his junior year, but he sustained a knee injury a couple of days before the season opener and missed most of the season.

“I was able to return for a couple of games at the end of the season,” said Griffith, who competed for the starting quarterback job with his older brother, Todd, during his sophomore season. “We were out of the playoff race. But I just felt it would be best to try to return and show my coaches and teammates I had recovered from the surgery and was ready to go.”

Griffith started at both positions during his senior season, in 1989, when Scott played in Class AAA for the first time.

“That was a unique experience,” he said. “When we ended the school year (1988-89), we were in Double-A. When we started the next school year (1989-90), we were in Triple-A. That kind of changed our season right off the bat.”

Griffith continued his career at West Virginia State University, albeit briefly.

“Following my freshman year, I went from a playing weight of 218 pounds to 169 pounds,” he said. “I realized there were some problems. So, I came home during Thanksgiving break and went to see Dr. (Ron) Stollings. I found out I was a juvenile diabetic. I was put on insulin shots immediately.

“During that offseason, I was struggling to put the game weight back on and I was struggling with the diabetes. At that time, the freshman football team here was in need of an assistant coach.”

The rest, as they say, is history. Griffith decided to make an early transition from player to coach, from the field to the sideline.

Griffith completed a class to receive his coaching certification, then applied for the opening at Scott. Meanwhile, he continued his education at West Virginia State.

“I have been here ever since,” Griffith said.

After a brief stint at Sherman Elementary School, Griffith returned to his alma mater in 1998 to teach technical education (or tech ed, as it is better known). He already was an assistant football coach for the varsity team by that time.

Griffith worked his way up the ladder, and Boone County Board of Education members selected him to replace current Scott athletic director Doug Cox as head football coach in 2000.

The sideline success he achieved in his first seven seasons is “extra special because this is my alma mater,” he said. “Everybody wants to be able to speak about their school with pride. The passion for my school and this sport has always been there and it still is.”

Griffith attributes his success in large part to his willingness to work, a trait he inherited from his father.

“My dad always told me if your chair is too comfortable, you won’t get much work done,” he said. “If you go in my office now, there’s an old wooden chair and it isn’t very comfortable. You sit in it when you have to, not when you want to. That’s the one thing I believe, and that’s the one thing I hope defines me and my team. We work.”

The hard-working coach and his equally hard-working players are expected to contend for the Class AA state championship this season.

That, Griffith admitted, is the ultimate goal. However, it isn’t, he noted, a lasting legacy.

“I have been chasing that dream with a passion for more than 20 years,” Griffith said of a state title. “Over the years, I have learned that it’s the path you take and the journey you make that defines you and your program.”

Contact Managing Editor Jacob Messer at HYPERLINK "jacobmesser@coalvalleynews.com" jacobmesser@coalvalleynews.com or 369-1165.