ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Dave Wills’ daughter Michelle says she used to tell her Dad, Dave, the voice of Rays Baseball, that he really wasn’t that important—kiddingly, of course.
Now that he’s been inducted into the Tampa Bay Rays Hall of Fame, she’s got a different opinion.
“I always joked with him and told him you’re not a big deal,” Michelle Wills said. “ But now I see you are a big deal. He would have loved it.”
Dave passed away suddenly last year during Spring Training. He and Rays Radio partner Andy Freed had been the longest-tenured radio duo in the American League, and Andy admits he doesn’t know if he’ll ever get over Dave’s passing.
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Wills and Freed had spent 18 years on the mic broadcasting Rays games. Andy was the Master of Ceremonies for the induction at Tropicana Field before the Rays played the San Francisco Giants on Sunday.
“It was perfect, I cried,” Michelle said. “It was so awesome to see and to have a day there with us. It meant a lot. Our entire family thanks the Rays organization.”
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Dave Wills started his broadcasting career in Illinois, broadcasting for the Kane County Cougars. He did pre- and post-game shows on Chicago radio for the White Sox, but once he got the job with the Rays, his entire family considered Tampa Bay home.
Wills will be inducted into the Rays Hall of Fame with Don Zimmerman, Wade Boggs, and Carl Crawford. Fred McGriff will be inducted on September 1 against the Padres.
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