John Garris starts his third season with the Bulldogs softball team this year. Garris coordinates all aspects of team defense and defense skill development while also implementing strategy and team concepts. The 2009 squad finished with a .963 fielding percentage, ranking them third in the conference in that category.
Garris, a native of Lenoy, Ala., came to Samford after spending the previous two seasons as the head coach at Shelton State Community College. During his time at Shelton State, he helped lead the team to a pair of postseason tournament appearances and immediately helped the squad to its first winning season in four years.
Prior to his head coaching stint at Shelton State, he worked for two seasons as an assistant coach at Rutgers University. While at Rutgers, he was responsible for all aspects of the team's hitting. Garris coached the program's all-time home run leader in 2004 and helped three players' batting averages increase by 170 percentage points.
Under Garris' instruction, one of his players at Rutgers, Helen Smith, underwent a 170 percentage point improvement in batting average and earned the team's Most Valuable Player honor in both 2004 and 2005.
Garris earned his first head coaching job at Delta State University in 1993. During his five-year tenure at Delta State, he became the school's second winningest coach in school history and was named the Gulf South Conference Coach of the Year in 1997. Once the Gulf South Conference began divisional play, his teams because the perennial powerhouse in the western division.
He led Delta State to three-consecutive GSC West Division championships and coached two Academic All-Americans, four all-region performers and numerous all-conference players. He still ranks among the GSC's all-time leaders for win percentage.
From 1998-2001, Garris served as the head coach at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas, and then went on to take the head coaching job at Henderson State University for three seasons before moving to Rutgers in 2003.
Garris was selected to lead the United States during the Athletes International Friendship Tour to Lima, Peru in 2005 and 2007. He was also recently chosen as a head coach in the 2007 Sparkler Triple Crown All-American All-Star Game held in Westminster, Colo. In 2008, he returned to Lima and Chincha as a consultant to the Peruvian Softball Federation, working with team of all ages including the Peruvian National Team. He also conducted clinics for coaches. In 2009, his overall international coaching record improved to 19-13.
An active member of the community, Garris is a member of both Athletes In Action and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He is also a long-time member of the National Fastpitch Coaches Association.
Garris was raised in the Mobile area and earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Alabama in 1984. He has since received his Master of Science degree and Master of Arts degree from Alabama.
