Last month, Quapaw tribal elder, Sidney Victor Griffin, was honored when the 1958 Cameron State Agricultural College baseball team was inducted into the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame. Sid was a student at Cameron State in 1958, the same year that the NJCAA sponsored their first Division 1 World Series tournament in Miami, Okla. Cameron College had not had a baseball team in 20 years, but the assembled players represented a diverse group of individuals with unparalleled enthusiasm and talent for the game. The school had a makeshift baseball field, and the majority of the Cameron fans included Quapaw tribal members and Sid’s family. With unrivaled resolve, and Sid playing third base, the Cameron State Aggies swept the qualifying games then secured the NJCAA World Series championship title against Northeastern Oklahoma A&M in a 9 to 6 win. The whole story is memorable and filled with humor, determination, and pride.
At the beginning of Sid’s career as a Forester with the U.S. Forest Service, Sid played All-Star baseball in the Northern California Semi-Pro League for four years. He then coached little league for many years at various assigned duty stations throughout the State of California.
Sid is the eldest grandson of Quapaw Chief Victor Griffin. His parents are Sidney Pierce Griffin, Sr. (deceased), and Beatrice Joy Griffin (deceased). His siblings include Anna (Susie) Yoast, Bill Griffin (current Quapaw Cultural Committee member), Raymond Griffin (deceased), and Emma Lou (Debbie) Griffin. He has been married to Jacqueline (Jackie) Griffin for 62 years and has three daughters: Stacia Joy Hunter (deceased), Lisa Kaye Whitney, and Marcia Lynne Johnson. His grandchildren include James Anthony Strong, who lives in Los Osos, CA, and is a skilled sous chef and bartender; Rebecca Marie Whitney, a 2018 graduate from Tulane University with a BS in Linguistics and BFA in Piano Performance. Rebecca is currently working on her Master’s Degree in Native American Languages and Linguistics; Emily Elizabeth Whitney is a 2019 graduate from Boise State University with a degree in Human Resource Management. Emily is currently working on a second undergraduate degree in Computer Science; Pavin Mitchell Johnson, a Political Science major and a Senior at UC Berkeley; and Wyatt Griffin Johnson, a Sophomore at Stanford University.
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