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Griffin Gives $1 Million to Volleyball (Jan. 2007)
 Amy Mitchell Griffin (’98) has many fond memories of her years as a Virginia volleyball player. But there’s one memory that’s remained top-of-mind for her. It was something that she thought about many times during practice at the old Memorial Gym. “I’d look up at the ceiling, at the cracked windows or the peeling paint, and I’d say, ‘Someday I’m going to give this program everything it needs,’ ” says Griffin, now-30 and living in New York City.
While many players before her – and likely several since – have looked up at those same cracks and peels and had the same thought, Amy Griffin, being the kind of person she is, is doing something about it. Last month, Griffin initiated a generous endowment to support the Virginia volleyball program into the future. Her gift will exclusively fund operations for volleyball and represents the first at this level to any Olympic sport at Virginia.
“Amy’s commitment to the volleyball program is tremendous and is an indication of the kind of financial support we need to secure all of our sports programs,” said Dirk Katstra, executive director of the Virginia Athletics Foundation. “We are extremely grateful to Amy and her husband John for their support.”
“I wanted to provide members of the Virginia volleyball program with every opportunity to succeed,” she says. “I want to give the women, the team and the coaches all the things we didn’t have funding for when I was a student.”
Though Memorial Gym received the much-needed facelift in 2003, Griffin’s hope is that this endowment will boost the program to the next level in other significant ways, too. She’d also like to see the team participate at higher profile tournaments with other higher profile volleyball programs – something U.Va. didn’t have funding for when she was a player.
“Our vision for the program is that we compete at a national level while recruiting well rounded student-athletes who will graduate from U.Va. knowing they had a complete college experience,” said Head Volleyball Coach Melissa Shelton. “Amy & John’s gift will help ensure that this vision becomes a reality.”
“It’s about morale,” continues Griffin. When you have better facilities and equipment, it puts you in place to succeed. “I’ve already seen changes in the girls’ faces.” The new locker room and updated gym are huge factors in recruiting. The team now travels on sleeper buses to bigger, better tournaments. This is the kind of ammunition Shelton will need to reel in top, All-American-type recruits in the future.
“I guess that doesn’t say much for me as a player,” says Griffin, laughing. But Griffin, a four-year letter winner from Amarillo, Texas, held her own during her time with the program. As an outside hitter, Griffin was the fourth player in school history to reach 1,000 career digs and the third player to rack up both 1,000 career kills and digs. She was a first-team All-State award winner and the team MVP in both her third and fourth years.
“I don’t remember the moments on the court,” though, says Griffin. “I mainly remember the experiences with my teammates, the experiences traveling together.” Amy wants to ensure that future Virginia volleyball players can say that they had the best experience possible at U.Va.
She sees her contribution to the program in three-tiers. First and foremost, as a gift to Virginia volleyball. But second, as an impetus for volleyball in the Atlantic Coast Conference as a whole (because, if Virginia is competing at national-level tournaments, the other ACC schools will need to as well). And third, she would like to encourage other women student-athletes from Virginia to give back to their former athletics programs.
Following graduation, Griffin worked as a Sports Marketing Manager at Sports Illustrated magazine and traveled to Salt Lake City and Sydney for the Olympic Games. She feels her background as a student-athlete helped her to make the transition into the workforce. “The discipline it takes (to be a student-athlete) is the most challenging and rewarding job you'll ever have.” She continues, “People come to U.Va. to be involved – it’s that kind of school. If you can balance all that on your plate, you'll succeed (after you graduate).”
–Sara Hunt
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