Resident Spotlight Series

Trillium Woods is home to many fascinating people, and over the next few months, we’ll be introducing you to a few of them.

Dave Thies likes to say he had “a cup of coffee in the big show”—a modest way to describe his time pitching for the Kansas City Athletics before they became the Oakland A’s. But don’t let that humble phrase fool you. Behind it is a story of grit, history, and a front-row seat to some of baseball’s legends.

Thies pitched in nine Major League games across a three-month stint and spent five years in the minors, playing alongside future Hall of Famers. He still remembers the day Mickey Mantle nearly hit the first homerun clear out of Yankee Stadium: “It hit the facade just below the roof,” he says. “But I didn’t throw the pitch!”

A graduate of St. Mary’s University, Thies rose from Division III to the majors after proving himself in the fast-paced Basin League. Though injuries cut his pitching career short, he went on to earn a master’s degree and thrive in corporate leadership, stockbroking, and real estate.

His advice to young athletes? “Play it to the hilt. It’s worth the chance. But always have something else you love waiting in the wings.”