Mark Thiel: Son of a legend left his own Mark on Streaks sports
Mark Thiel, former 3-sport star for the Galesburg Silver Streaks. (JAY REDFERN/WGIL)
The son of legendary Silver Streaks basketball coach John Thiel, Mark Thiel left his own legacy at Galesburg High School.
A 1973 grad, Mark Thiel was the first Streaks athlete to win 9 varsity letters when Galesburg was a 3-year high school — excelling in football, basketball and baseball.
Mark went on to play baseball at the University of Missouri, twice setting the single-season home run record while earning All-American honors as a catcher for the Tigers.
The New York Yankees then drafted Mark in the 10th round of the 1976 draft, and he played four years with the Pinstripes. While he didn’t make to the big leagues, he was invited to Major League spring training in 1979, where he was briefly teammates with guys named Reggie Jackson, Thurman Mason and Lou Pinella.
In this conversation with WGIL's Jay Redfern, Mark Thiel talks about growing up a Thiel, the competitive nature of his famous father, what it was like to play for Streaks in the early 1970s, his brief career in the New York Yankees organization and more.
Mark Thiel, former 3-sport star for the Galesburg Silver Streaks. (JAY REDFERN/WGIL)