Spotlight - Chris Kolkhorst

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Posted by: Content Administrator	11/28/2006
Some of you may remember me as the guy who got hit by pitches. Some may remember my fiery nature and tendency to let an umpire know when I disagreed with a call. Some may remember a particular catch against the left field wall in Omaha. Some of you may not have a clue who I am. Either way here is my story about three amazing years of my life and what I’m doing now. My Rice career began in the fall of 2001 and I played ball 2002-2004. I graduated in 2004 with degrees in economics, managerial studies, and sports management. I can honestly say that the three years I spent at Rice were the best years of my life. Baseball wise the timing was perfect and the friendships and memories will last a lifetime. I could go on and on about the trips to Omaha and the National Championship but I believe I need to thank a few people. First I would like to thank Jeff Niemann for serving it up just right to that Stanford hitter and allowing him to hit it high enough and just deep enough so that I could run into the wall and still make the catch. Secondly I would like to thank my teammates Dane Bubela “Boobs” and Sean Hirsch “The Bar” for accepting my bet and then losing that bet which solidified my status as “The Gritman.” For more on that story please email or call me directly. I was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 10th round of the 2004 draft and I went on to play two years in their minor league system. Although I performed well statistically, it was clear to me early on that my heart was not in professional baseball. I realized that my style of play didn’t put me on the fast track to the big leagues and I couldn’t get over the fact that a large part of me felt like I may be putting all my eggs in one basket. What made me successful at Rice was playing for a team and now that team component seemed to be missing. Getting hit by a pitch or running into a wall wasn’t quite the same when your teammates didn’t care who won. So after much debate I decided to leave professional baseball in March of this year. My new wife and I packed up our things the last week of spring training and headed back to Houston. I didn’t know what I was going to do but I figured I had a good degree, a need to provide, and a strong desire to be successful so I would figure it out. So currently I am still transitioning from an identity as a baseball player to one as a husband, a businessman, and a leader in society. I am working in Houston as a commercial insurance broker for McGriff, Seibels & Williams of Texas, Inc. We are a full service property and casualty and group benefits broker with domestic and international capabilities and service a wide range of clients including a Fortune 1000 client base. Our company has developed a philosophy of hiring many ex athletes and feel that there are certain intangible qualities those former athletes bring to the table. My competitive nature made me a fit for the McGriff culture and made the move to the insurance industry a natural progression for me. At this time my lovely wife Ann Marie and I are anxiously awaiting the completion of our new house out in the Cypress area. I’m only 2 ½ years removed from the program and the University, but already a few things are clear to me. First of all playing baseball and getting a degree from Rice will open up doors for you. What I have also learned is that no matter what you do it’s impossible to avoid competition. I strongly believe that there are certain qualities that will allow someone to be successful no matter what they are doing. I am thankful that playing baseball and attending Rice University helped instill, nurture, and develop some of these qualities within me. I would like to thank the coaching staff, the loyal fan base and faculty that helped make my Rice experience what it was. I would also like to thank Coach Graham for the lectures and I will continue to tell people that I didn’t care what you said about me as long as you wrote my name in the lineup. I’m excited about the future of this organization. Before RUBPA was established we were just individuals that played ball at Rice. Now we have a platform and the framework to reconnect all former players. There is a commonality among us, and we no longer are players from different eras, we are all Rice baseball alumni and are all on the same team. I believe the Rice network is strong but there is definite room for improvement. There aren’t many of us Rice graduates so I believe its imperative that we band together and draw upon the resources that we have available. Whether it’s raising money for the program, doing business together, or assisting with job placements – these are all things this organization can help facilitate. I’d like to thank the many players that came before our 2003 team that helped pave the road for our success. Let’s all work together to get as many former players signed as we can. Cheers to the many good times ahead. Go Owls!

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Comments (1)

Re: Chris Kolkhorst	By jniemann on 11/29/2006
Well Chris...Thanks I guess, I figured you would have a better chance jumping into a padded wall than trying to fall, I mean dive over the bullpen mounds. Haha, that was a hell of a play.