June 21, 2001

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Florida State junior outfielder John-Ford Griffin, who recently signed with the New York Yankees after being drafted with the 23rd pick in the first round of the MLB Draft, was named a first team All-American by Baseball America to complete his final season as a consensus All-American. Griffin joins J.D. Drew (1996 & 1997) and Marshall McDougall (1999) as the third Seminole in the last five years to be named a first team All-American by Collegiate Baseball, Baseball Weekly, Baseball America and the American Baseball Coaches Association.

Griffin, a native of Sarasota, Fla., led the 2001 Seminoles with a .450 batting average, 19 home runs, 30 doubles and 75 RBI. He finished with a career batting average of .427, well ahead of Drew's former school record of .391. The .427 career average ranks first all-time in the ACC and 16th in NCAA Division I history, behind several collegiate players that went on to become Major League standouts including Miami's Pat Burrell (.442), Alabama's Dave Magadan (.439), Washington State's John Olerud (.434), Wichita State's Joe Carter (.430) and Oklahoma State's Robin Ventura (.428). Griffin tied Jeremy Morris' FSU record for career doubles with 78, reaching that total in one less year than Morris did.

Griffin is currently assigned to the Yankees' A affiliate in Staten Island. He is Florida State's 10th player since 1991 to be drafted in the first round.

Florida State finished 2001 with a 47-19 record and won the ACC regular season title with a conference mark of 20-4. The Seminoles were ranked in the Top 10 in all three of the final polls. FSU checked in at No. 9 in the final Collegiate Baseball poll to extend its streak of Top 10 finishes in that poll to eight seasons - the longest current run in the country.