Alumnus Grayling Tobias was inducted into the UMSL Sports Hall of Fame in 2003 for his skills in both baseball and basketball. He was featured Sunday on stltoday.com. (Photo by UMSL Athletics)

As a two-sport athlete at the University of Missouri–St. Louis, Grayling Tobias excelled both on the basketball court and baseball field. But it was in the classroom where he found his true passion while earning a bachelor’s degree in secondary education.

Tobias, an assistant superintendent for learning in the Hazelwood School District, was featured Sunday on stltoday.com. 

After graduating from UMSL in 1980, he tried his hand at professional baseball while playing for the Detroit Tigers’ AA club, the Montgomery (Ala.) Rebels. But after being cut in his third season, he returned to St. Louis and to the classroom.

“Education made a difference in my life,” Tobias told stltoday. “And I wanted to make a difference in the lives of kids.”