Baseball

The Amazing Les Thomas

In April of 2022, Ryan Perreault, Assistant Athletic Director – Athletic Communications at NDSU, forwarded me an email from Nanci Thomas who had sent in a bio for her husband Les to be considered for admission to the Bison Athletic Hall of Fame.

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In April of 2022, Ryan Perreault, Assistant Athletic Director – Athletic Communications at NDSU, forwarded me an email from Nanci Thomas who had sent in a bio for her husband Les to be considered for admission to the Bison Athletic Hall of Fame. Ryan told me that Les’s baseball story, which is still being written, might be a good feature for the magazine.

I strongly agree.

 

Originally from Rolette, ND, Thomas is one of the most interesting people I have interviewed for this magazine.

Let’s Get To Know Les

  • Pitched at NDSU in 1968 and 1969
  • Claims to be the first Native American to play baseball at NDSU
  • Transferred to and played baseball at UND
  • Chippewa who was raised on the border of the Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation as the eldest of seven children
  • Grew up in a house with no electricity, running water, or TV
  • Worked as a Program Analyst with the Department of the Interior
  • Started playing in the Men’s Senior Baseball League in 1985 and has been playing ever since, winning seven national tournaments in the process

But those are just the bullet points.

The Upbringing

Life was simple for Les and his family growing up in Rollette, ND. Simple, but not easy. The future captain of his high school baseball, basketball, and football teams started off as a farm kid, helping his family raise cows and chickens and learning the basics of the game at 7 years old by shagging fly balls off the bat of his father, an ex-ballplayer himself. His mother did not want him to play organized sports because he had too many chores, but that didn’t stop him once he got to high school.

Les got up every morning at 4:30 a.m. and did his chores and then caught the bus to school. He would stay after school for baseball practice and then either run five miles back to the farm or catch a ride with someone.

Eventually, he saved up enough money to buy a car, making his schedule, and trips to and from practice, a bit easier.

Les (back row, far left) stands with the 1969 NDSU baseball team.
The Washington Senators were the first MSBL team that Les ever played for.

College

Les originally went to NDSU because he wanted to pursue engineering, one of the land grant institution’s strongest programs at the time. He also received an invitation to try out for the team.

“I was not too confident going into that tryout,” Les said. “In college, I think I was 135 pounds and there were a lot of people trying out for the team.”

However, the coaches saw something in the young right-hander because, as a true freshman, he was one of only two pitchers to make the varsity squad.

Les stayed with the team through the 1969 season, contributing in a limited fashion before he had to make a difficult decision, dropping out of his major at the time, which, in turn, caused him to transfer.

“It was tough for me to leave,” Les said. “I really liked the training program and everything that they had at NDSU. But I wasn’t in school to play baseball, I needed a degree.”

Ultimately, Les transferred up to the University of North Dakota (Booooo) to finish his degree and pitch for the in-state rival.

Post-College

After graduating from the school whose name we won’t mention again, Les was recruited to Washington State to work for a company called Pacific Fruit and Produce as an office manager. From there, Les moved to a company in Colorado Springs that made geodesic domes as a design engineer.

“After a couple of years of being there, the company went broke,” Les said. “There was a recession, so I moved again.”

Les’s next stop was with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, a federal agency within the Department of Interior that is responsible for implementing federal laws and policies related to Native Americans and Alaska Natives.

“I only planned to work in the government for a year or two but I just kept on progressing,” Les said. “Eventually, I ended up working with the Department of Health and Human Services out in Washington, DC.”

That was the final stop in his professional career where he had a hand in one big project you might be aware of, writing the regulations for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, better known as HIPAA.

But what’s really impressive about Les is the career he has continued to put together on the diamond.

Baseball is Still in His Blood

Anyone who knows Les’ story undoubtedly knows that baseball is in his blood and continues to pump through his system. However, Les almost hung up the cleats after finishing school.

“I played a little bit for the Rolla NoDaks in the Manitoba Senior Baseball league when I was back home in the summers, but I had moved out to Washington State and thought I was done,” Les said. “But, I’m the eldest son in the family and all of my brothers were playing in college. I was out working and when I would come home to visit, it helped me stay in touch with the game.”

Thankfully he stayed in touch, because, eventually, there would be an opportunity to continue playing the game he so dearly loves.

“When I was living in Washington D.C. in 1987, I saw a notice in the newspaper that they were starting a 30 and over league and I decided to check it out. I’ve been with it ever since,” Les said. “We were never really sure if there would be any staying power for the Men’s Senior Baseball League—there were only 20 or 30 teams at the time, but word of mouth spread and it just took off. And as the guys have gotten older and older, they just keep creating these older divisions.

Les played for the Nationals in 1994. This pho.to was taken right after the world series that year.
Les with the 2018 Stars who took first in the World Series that year.

In his over 35 years playing in the Men’s Senior Baseball League, Les has played for many teams at the local and national levels. He has played with ex-professionals. He has played against the likes of Roger Clemens and Ozzie Smith. And he has won championships.

“He plays in the MSBL World Series every year in Arizona,” Nanci said. “It’s one of his favorite things to do. He plays on two or three teams every time he is there.”

“I love being around the guys and I love the competition,” Les, who now plays in the 70 and over division when he is at the World Series tournament, said. “Those games are very competitive. Teams recruit and have ex-professional managers and ex-professional players. I got to the age of 50 and thought I’d be done. Then, I got to 60 and thought I’d be done, but I just keep going.”

He really does keep going, usually playing second base or shortstop these days in order to utilize his strong arm, Les hit .536 in his local league with Colorado Blues who are in the 50 and over division.

Fitness

In order to keep performing in your 70s, you need to take care of yourself.

To do so, Les goes to the gym once a week, at least.

“I do a little weight training, a little running, and some basketball,” Les said. “Definitely not like I used to but you have to keep the body in shape or it starts to deteriorate pretty fast. At NDSU, these trainers had us do these exercises that I found out later in life were yoga exercises. I still do those exercises today, at least a couple of times a week. You have got to stay stretched out.”

Staying healthy is extremely important, as Les says that you don’t bounce back from injury quite the same at his age. Doing this takes balance and patience. The Colorado Blues stop playing in October and start practicing in January, but Les doesn’t start until March because he dedicates himself to an eight-week strength training program every year in preparation for the season.

“There aren’t a lot of beer bellies playing in the league we play in,” Les said. “You’ve got to keep up.”

Whether or not he is an NDSU hall of famer is not for me to decide, but Les’s accomplishments and longevity are definitely legendary

The Amazing Les Thomas
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