Many times, we see successful athletes retire from the sport, and go on to become successful business men and women in various sectors of the economy.
Today, we’ll be looking at a former Nigerian baseball player, who is a Biochemical Engineer, and also has a graduate degree in Management Science and Engineering.
Early Life
Babawande (Wande) Olabisi was born on March 18, 1988, in Lagos. At age five, the youngster’s family moved to Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.
At age 12, Olabisi had already become a force to reckon with in baseball. He represented Dhahran in the Little League World Series, where he was picked out for the All-Star game and Home Run Derby. In high school, the Nigerian was a four-sport athlete (baseball, football, soccer, and track).
Olabisi got into Stanford University, where he got both his undergraduate and graduate degrees.
As an athlete in Stanford, Olabisi was described by his coach, Mark Marquess, as the greatest player he had ever had the privilege of coaching.
Major League Baseball
In 2009, Olabisi became the first ever Nigerian-born player to be selected in the MLB First-Year Player Draft and the first to play affiliated baseball. Selected by San Diego Padres, Olabisi was regarded as a top prospect by MLB Prospect Guide. The Nigerian had an amazing professional career, playing his final two seasons Fort Wayne TinCaps and Lake Elsinore Storm. During his playing career, Olabisi used his offseason time to design and develop low-cost high-efficiency medical devices for use in developing countries.
After retiring from professional baseball, Olabisi ventured into the world of business management and investment, where the Nigerian has had a number of great successes over the years.
The Nigerian was on the books for global consulting firm, McKinsey & Company, before he joined Altamont Capital Partners as an Investment Professional.
Source: UTSandiego
Featured image source: altamontcapital.com
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