A native of Shannon, Georgia, Griggs stood 6 feet (1.8 m) tall, weighed 170 pounds (77 kg) and batted right-handed.

Griggs was a workhorse as a minor league pitcher, logging over 200 innings pitched for his first six seasons (1950–1955) in professional baseball, including stints with Washington's Charlotte Hornets and Chattanooga Lookouts minor league affiliates.

According to a 1993 Sports Illustrated article, Griggs was married on a Hickory, North Carolina, pitching mound before a minor league game in 1952.

"[1] Griggs enjoyed the night life of a Major League player, telling a Washington teammate, "I'm only going to be here once on this earth, and I'm really going to live it up.

"[1] Griggs pitched professionally into the 1963 season before retiring from the game, and died at age 76 in Tucson, Arizona.