Perry McGriff

Perry Colson McGriff, Jr. (June 29, 1937 – February 2, 2017) was an American politician, retired insurance agent, and former All-American college football and baseball player. McGriff was a member of the Florida House of Representatives, Mayor of Gainesville and Democratic nominee for a seat in the Florida Senate.

Early life and education McGriff was born in Arcadia, Florida, in 1937. He attended the University of Florida in Gainesville, where he was a member of Phi Delta Theta fraternity (Florida Alpha Chapter) and Florida Blue Key leadership honorary. McGriff was also an outfielder for coach Dave Fuller's Florida Gators baseball team from 1958 to 1960, and was honored as a first-team All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) selection in 1959 and 1960, a first-team All-American in 1959, and a second-team All-American in 1960. He received his bachelor's degree in physical education from Florida in 1960,

Political career McGriff, a Democrat, served as the 22nd district Representative in the Florida House of Representatives from 2000 to 2002. In 2010, he was the unsuccessful Democratic Party nominee for Florida's 14th senate district,

McGriff lived in Gainesville with his family.