Richard Raymond Nye (born August 4, 1944) is an American former professional baseball player who was a left-handed
pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...
in the
Major Leagues from 1966–1970.
Nye was drafted by the Cubs in 1966 while still at the University of California, Berkeley. Nye went to their Class A team in
Caldwell, Idaho for a brief "spring training" and 3 weeks of action before being called up to the California Class A league to finish that minor league season; Chicago brought him to the majors in 1966 at the end of the season.
Nye received a degree in
civil engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads, bridges, canals, dams, airports, sewa ...
from the
University of California at Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant uni ...
in the same year he was drafted. He played for the
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...
,
Montreal Expos
The Montreal Expos (french: link=no, Les Expos de Montréal) were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal, Quebec. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in t ...
, and
Chicago Cubs.
Nye was with the Cubs during the years
Leo Durocher
Leo Ernest Durocher (French spelling Léo Ernest Durocher) (; July 27, 1905 – October 7, 1991), nicknamed "Leo the Lip" and "Lippy", was an American professional baseball player, manager and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as an infie ...
was manager and recalled learning when he was scheduled to pitch not from Durocher, but by reading the sports column.
[ He was named Chicago's Rookie of the Year in 1968.]
Nye played in the major leagues for over five years; his baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...
career came to an end due to injuries.
Upon retiring, Rich initially used his civil engineering degree, working for a time on what was to become the Willis Tower
The Willis Tower (originally the Sears Tower) is a 108- story, skyscraper in the Loop community area of Chicago in Illinois, United States. Designed by architect Bruce Graham and engineer Fazlur Rahman Khan of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM ...
and became a commodities trader
A commodity market is a market that trades in the primary economic sector rather than manufactured products, such as cocoa, fruit and sugar. Hard commodities are mined, such as gold and oil. Futures contracts are the oldest way of investing ...
at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange.[
A teammate of his with the 1971 Winnipeg Whips, Triple A affiliate of the Montreal Expos, was the father of major leaguer John Olerud, who was in medical school while playing baseball. Looking for something that would be as inspirational to him as baseball was, the two discussed the possibilities and Nye learned he needed some undergraduate science credits to be a candidate for the University of Illinois' veterinary program.][ He entered the ]University of Illinois
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Univer ...
School of Veterinary Medicine
Veterinary medicine is the branch of medicine that deals with the prevention, management, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, disorder, and injury in animals. Along with this, it deals with animal rearing, husbandry, breeding, research on nutri ...
in 1972, becoming a veterinarian
A veterinarian (vet), also known as a veterinary surgeon or veterinary physician, is a medical professional who practices veterinary medicine. They manage a wide range of health conditions and injuries in non-human animals. Along with this, vet ...
in 1976.[ He began practicing medicine at Niles Animal Hospital in ]Niles, Illinois
Niles is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States, located in the townships of Maine and Niles, directly neighboring the City of Chicago's far northwest border. Per the 2020 census, the population was 30,912. The current mayor of Niles ...
. Nye developed a special interest in birds while at the practice and became an exotic and avian specialist. When the Association of Avian Veterinarians was founded in 1980, he became a charter member and is also a past president of AAV (1989).
Using his abilities in commodity trading to earn the money for starting his own practice, Nye and two other exotic animal veterinarians founded Midwest Bird and Exotic Animal Hospital in Westchester, Illinois
Westchester is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is a western suburb of Chicago. The population was 16,892 at the 2020 census. The current Village President is Nick Steker, serving in the special role of acting president after ...
in 1985, which was the first exotic-only specialist practice in the United States.
Nye and Dr. Susan Brown, a partner and the inspiration for starting the all-exotic practice, were married. Their practice grew to include five veterinarians and a large support staff; almost 20 years after the founding of the hospital, the couple sold it to two veterinarians on their staff in October 2004. The practice that Nye and Brown started outgrew its original home in Westchester;[ in 2005, it moved to its present location in ]Elmwood Park, Illinois
Elmwood Park is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 24,521 at the 2020 census. The community has long maintained a large Italian-American population, with a more recent influx of Polish-American and Hispanic re ...
.
He is the author of several veterinary textbook chapters on avian medicine, serves as a consultant, and has continued to see patients at Ness Exotic Wellness Center in Lisle, Illinois
Lisle ( ) is a village in DuPage County, Illinois, United States. The population was 22,390 at the 2010 census, and in 2019 the population was recorded to be 23,270. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Illinois Technology and Resea ...
on a part-time basis.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nye, Rich
1944 births
Living people
American expatriate baseball players in Canada
American veterinarians
Male veterinarians
American commodities traders
Baseball players from Oakland, California
Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players
California Golden Bears baseball players
Charleston Charlies players
Chicago Cubs players
Lodi Crushers players
Major League Baseball pitchers
Montreal Expos players
People from Illinois
St. Louis Cardinals players
Tiburones de La Guaira players
American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela
Treasure Valley Cubs players
UC Berkeley College of Engineering alumni
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign alumni
Wichita Aeros players
Winnipeg Whips players