Coach’s small town roots have produced big results

“If I wasn’t coaching, I would probably be lost,” Ricky Griffin said.

The Argyle baseball coach relayed these thoughts shortly after the Eagles had dispensed with Arlington Heights in the area round of the postseason in mid-May.

Griffin has led the Argyle baseball program to three state championships and five state championship game appearances during his 17-year tenure at the school and said most of his life has revolved around the sport he loves.

“I’ve loved baseball from an early age,” Griffin said. “I wasn’t a big kid, so baseball suited me and it came easy. I was a middle infielder and played for my mentor, Scott Cook at Frisco High School. I played some in college at Mary Hardin-Baylor, but I was a very average college player.”

But certainly not an average coach.

 

Griffin coached the Eagles to state titles in 2015, 2018 and 2019, and the 2018 and 2019 teams were also named National Champions.

In 2018, Griffin was selected as the Max Preps National Coach of the Year.

In 2019, he was the National High School Baseball Coaches Association Regional and National Coach of the Year and American Baseball Coaches Association’s National Coach of the Year.

Then in 2020, Griffin was named the National Federation of State High School Association’s Texas Coach of the Year.

The Argyle baseball coach grew up in Frisco when it was just a small farming community and was a fifth-generation resident, where all of his family members were farmers.

“I knew in high school that I wanted to coach baseball,” Griffin said. “I looked up to Coach Cook and always thought I would end up doing what he did. I started my coaching career as an assistant in Frisco for Coach Cook for seven years, then went to Wylie for seven years where I got my first head coaching assignment. From there I came to Argyle where I have been for the last 17 years.”

Griffin said Argyle seemed like a natural fit.

“I was drawn to Argyle because of its small town feel,” Griffin said. “Growing up in Frisco, it was then a small country town, and I wanted that same experience for my two boys.”

Griffin said when it comes to how he approaches coaching, he tries to keep it positive.

“My coaching philosophy is all about creating relationships,” Griffin said. “I want my players to feel like I am genuinely proud of them and what they accomplish.”

And his teams have accomplished quite a bit.

The three state champion squads went a combined 101-8 overall.

Griffin is quick to credit the Argyle community for his team’s success.

“I have received great support from Argyle ISD and have been blessed with some very talented, high character kids over the years,” Griffin said.

In his spare time, Griffin enjoys traveling with his wife, playing golf, and spending time with his granddaughter.

The Argyle coach said he hopes that his players leave the program with the understanding that teamwork is important.

“I have tried to develop my program around having my players be willing to put the team first,” Griffin said. “I hope that can be transferred into the rest of their lives.”