Longtime former Express-News sportswriter Tim Griffin built national reputation covering college sports

Tim Griffin reached a career crossroads in summer 1986. An education reporter for the San Antonio Express-News since 1984, Griffin, then 27, was torn between continuing with that beat or accepting a long-standing offer from the newspaper’s sports editor to join his staff. “He was a very good education writer,” said David Flores, who was the Express-News’ assistant sports editor at the time. “He was well-respected by the teachers and superintendents, had good sources. He knew how to cover the schools. But he loved sports.” Griffin eventually decided to make the move from the newsroom to the sports department, where one of his first assignments was covering the drama-filled 1986 World Series between the New York Mets and the Boston Red Sox.

For more than 25 years, Griffin excelled covering a variety of sports stories and beats for the Express-News, including a lengthy, career-defining stint as a college sports reporter during which he served as president of the Football Writers Association of America and as a respected voter on the Associated Press college football and basketball polls. Griffin died July 8, a week shy of his birthday, at his home in Corpus Christi surrounded by his family after a short bout with a rare form of cancer. He was 62. “He apologized to me for having it,” said Nedra “De De” K. Griffin, Griffin’s wife of almost 25 years. “He said, ‘I can’t even believe I’m not getting a chance to beat (cancer’s) ass one more time.’ ” Griffin had a Wilms’ tumor, a common form of childhood kidney cancer when he was a toddler that resulted in the removal of his left kidney after he underwent chemotherapy and radiation to combat it. The cancer also resulted in scoliosis that led to back surgery. “He was told not to run marathons and do other things, and guess what? He did,” his wife said. “He went off and lived.” News of his death triggered an outpouring of comments on social media from colleagues, coaches, athletes, media relations staffers and readers about his professionalism, dogged reporting, and reputation for being one of the nicest guys in the business.