Charles Arthur "Dazzy" Vance (March 4, 1891 – February 16, 1961) was an American professional baseball player. He played as a pitcher for five different franchises in Major League Baseball (MLB) in a career that spanned twenty years. Known for his impressive fastball, Vance was the only pitcher to lead the National League in strikeouts seven consecutive seasons. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1955 ("Dazzy Vance"). Though born in Iowa, Vance spent most of his youth in Nebraska on a farm north of Red Cloud near Cowles. Vance pitched on semi-professional teams in Red Cloud, Superior, and Hastings. Descendants of Vance still live and farm in the region.

"Dazzy Vance could throw a cream puff through a battleship," said former Brooklyn Dodgers teammate Johnny Frederick.

Vance's bio on the National Baseball Hall of Fame website proclaims that he was, "Renowned for his blazing fastball" and that "Vance was the premier strikeout pitcher of the 1920s." Furthermore, "He led the National League in strikeouts for seven consecutive seasons from 1922-'28, and often he led by wide margins. In 1924, he had more strikeouts than the second- and third-place pitchers combined."

His best season was 1924, when he won the NL MVP award after leading the league in wins (28), ERA (2.16), complete games (30) and strikeouts (262). He beat out fellow Hall of Famer Rogers Hornsby—who hit .424 that season—for the award, and $1,000 in gold coins.

He led the league in wins again the next season, during which he also threw a no-hitter against Philadelphia, striking out nine and walking one.

Vance's Dodgers never won a pennant, and in 1933 he was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals, where he joined Dizzy and Paul Dean. He was sold to the Reds the following year, but he was waived back to St. Louis in time to win the 1934 World Series as part of the "Gashouse Gang." He finished his career as a reliever back with Brooklyn in 1935 ("Vance, Dazzy).

Vance's career is even more remarkable because he did not break into the major leagues for good until the age of 31 in 1922. He had spent the previous decade pitching mostly in the minor leagues, though he made nine appearances between the Pirates and Yankees in 1915, and two more for the Yankees in 1918. A sore arm was blamed for cutting short his first cracks at the majors. That soreness became shooting pain after he banged his elbow on a poker table, causing him to have surgery. The procedure cleared up the pain, and also relieved the chronic soreness that had plagued him. ("Vance, Dazzy").

He had a strong season for the New Orleans Pelicans of the Southern League in 1921, but at the age of 30, he was far from a hot prospect. But the Pelicans had a catcher named Hank DeBerry whom the Dodgers wanted, so New Orleans offered DeBerry along with Vance in a package deal for $10,000. The Dodgers took the deal, and Vance won 18 games as a 31-year-old rookie in 1922, en route to a Hall of Fame career. He was elected to the Hall in 1955, and he died six years later at the age of 69" ("Vance, Dazzy").

Vance's career is even more remarkable because he did not break into the major leagues for good until the age of 31 in 1922

According to the Omaha World-Herald, "Vance was born in Orient, Iowa, but his family moved to Nebraska when he was 6 to farm in Webster County. His nickname came from the saying, 'Ain’t that a daisy,' which Vance would pronounce 'Dazzy.'

He played in the Nebraska State League for Superior, Red Cloud and Hastings before pro scouts spotted him. In 1914, Hastings sold his contract to St. Joseph (Missouri) of the Class A Western League. He made it to the majors in 1915 with Pittsburgh, went back to St. Joseph after one start and then finished the season back in the majors with three losses in as many starts for the New York Yankees" (Nebraska's 100 Greatest Athletes--Omaha World Herald).

In 2015, Vance was named the 12th greatest athlete in the history of Nebraska by the Omaha World-Herald (he had placed 11th in the original 2005 rankings).

After baseball, Vance was a noted hunter and fisherman on his property near Homosassa Springs, FL. The pictures below capture Vance in those activities and current Red Cloud resident and descendant Boyd Vance has great stories to tell about time he spent with Dazzy on his Florida property. If you ever get a chance, you need to talk to Boyd.

Bassmasters' Bernie Schultz offers some interesting insight into Vance's interests away from the game of baseball. Schultz writes, "Vance loved fishing and baseball equally, and he made finding the strike zone in both his preoccupation."

Furthermore, according to Schulz, "Vance partnered with noted lure designer Paul Manon to form the Dazzy Vance Bait Manufacturing Company. Vance provided his endorsement and the necessary start-up funds; Manon handled the design work and day-to-day operations.

Among their most notable lures were the “Tampa Two Thousand,” “Sea Hopper” and “Angle Frog.” These were painted in a variety of colors and patterns to tempt both bass and various inshore saltwater fish — like snook, redfish and trout.

Interestingly, the company packaged their lures individually in small wooden boxes made of cedar — a practice of high-end lure manufacturers decades earlier. It’s likely the boxes were sourced from nearby Tampa, which was home to a thriving tobacco industry — where cedar boxes were commonly used in bulk packaging by cigar distributors." (Read the full story from Bassmasters).

In 2016, an effort was launched to create a memorial or state historical markers related to Red Cloud's baseball lineage. Those efforts met with meager results but there is still interest in doing something to honor the legacy of Vance, Cy Young, Clarence Mitchell, and others in the community connected to its baseball and softball history. Contact Red Cloud Tourism & Commerce Director Jarrod McCartney at the numbers below if you are interested in doing something or learning how you can help out. Red Cloud Tourism & Commerce believe that not only do these legends deserve greater recognition, but that doing so would help diversify the type of sites and attractions that would encourage tourism development.

Sources used to compile this feature on Dazzy Vance include: "Vance, Dazzy," The National Baseball Hall of Fame., 2) "Dazzy Vance: The Nebraska 100," by the Omaha World-Herald., 3) "Dazzy Vance," Player Page on Baseball Reference, 4) "Dazzy Vance," by the Nebraska Minor League Baseball website, and 5) "Dazzy Vance: In the Strike Zone," by Bernie Schultz of Bassmasters magazine. Another great read is, "The Improbable Career of Dazzy Vance," by Chad Dotson on The Hardball Times.