(CEDAR HILL, TEXAS) Michael Griffin said his nearly decade long professional baseball career helped prepare him well for his next chapter as a staffing company executive.
“Staffing and recruiting are similar to baseball,” said Griffin, who graduated fourth out of 372 in the Cedar Hill High School Class of 2001. “You get a lot of ‘no’ from people, and it’s very competitive. It couldn’t have been a better transition.”
Griffin is the President and CEO of OmniForce Solutions in the Houston area, where he lives with his wife and three children.
“Staffing reminds me a lot of the sports mentality,” Griffin said. “I enjoy working with people and helping people find jobs and opportunities for their families.”
Griffin attended Plummer and High Pointe elementary schools and Permenter Middle School before CHHS where he was a member of the National Honor Society.
“I held myself to a high standard – there was no other way besides making ‘As’ and performing in sports,” Griffin said.
Griffin, 40, was an infielder and pitcher for the Longhorns, who reached the playoffs during his years with the program.
After CHHS, Griffin accepted an opportunity to attend Baylor University and play for the Bears’ baseball team. His Baylor career was such a successful one that he will be inducted into Baylor’s Athletic Hall of Fame during the Bears’ November 2 football game vs. TCU. One of his fellow inductees that day is Baylor Women’s Basketball Legend Brittney Griner.
Griffin debuted at Baylor as a third baseman in 2003, earning Freshman All-American Honors.
He moved around the infield and also played left field. During his college years, Griffin represented Team USA, along with the likes of future All-Stars Justin Verlander, Dustin Pedroia and Jared Weaver.
“I would say that ranked at the top of my playing experience,” Griffin said. “We were able to win a silver medal in the 2003 Pan Am Games in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic that year. It is one thing to play for a high school team, college team, or professional team but it takes on a different meaning when you are playing for your country and wearing the red, white, and blue.”
Griffin, along with fellow CHHS Graduate Tim Jackson, helped lead Baylor to the 2005 College World Series (CWS) – their third and most recent appearance in college baseball’s premier event.
The Bears lost to eventual National Champion Texas — a team they swept during a regular season series.
Griffin was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the 14th round of the Major League Baseball Draft the same month as the CWS. He went on to spend his entire professional career with the Reds, culminating with Triple-A Louisville in 2012.
“I was fortunate enough to have my degree the entire time I played professional baseball,” Griffin said. “I had graduated with honors from Baylor. Moving into the world of staffing was a seamless transition.”
Griffin had an opportunity to work in the Reds’ front office, but he instead chose to relocate to Houston, where his wife, Dr. Bailey Griffin, was completing a medical residency program. She’s now a podiatrist in the Houston area. The couple met during their years at Baylor.