Clarence (Charles) Arthur Vance was born in 1891 in the farm community of Orient, Iowa. Inevitably, he was called "the Orient Express," but he acquired his more famous nickname, "Dazzy," while still a youngster. One of Vance’s neighbors owned a rifle of which he was inordinately proud. Whenever the neighbor showed it off, he’d crow, "Ain’t it a dazzy?" Vance adopted the expression and soon his schoolmates hung the nickname on him for good. Dazzy Vance was the prototypical late bloomer. After playing for a decade in the minor leagues and failing in three trials with major league clubs, he burst on the scene in 1922 at age 31and became the top pitcher in the National League.

As a 31-year-old rookie, Vance went 18-12 for the 1922 Robins and led the NL in strikeouts. His five shutouts tied for the league lead. Vance won 18 games in 1923, including 10 straight during one stretch, then had his greatest season in 1924. He finished 28-6, leading the league in wins, complete games, strikeouts, and earned run average. His 2.16 ERA was nearly half a run less than that of his nearest competitor. During one stretch he won 15 consecutive games, and on August 1 Vance struck out seven straight hitters in a game against Chicago. On September 14 against the Cubs, Vance hurled a "perfect" third inning, striking out the side on nine pitches. Vance’s long arms and high leg kick produced a blinding fastball and a sharp-breaking curve. Vance also pitched with intelligence. He wore a long-sleeve undershirt with a tattered right sleeve to distract the hitter. The first time he faced Braves outfielder Wally Berger he struck him out on three straight fastballs. His next time at the plate, Berger fanned on three consecutive curves. "What kind of pitching is that?" he complained. "You learn how to strike me out one way and then you ignore what you’ve learned to strike me out another way!" Vance smiled and remarked, "The unexpected pitch is still the best pitch anyone can throw." Vance retired in 1935 with a record of 197-140. His career ERA was 3.24, and he finished with 2,045 strikeouts and only 840 walks. On 33 occasions he struck out at least 10 batters in a game. After retiring, Vance managed his extensive real estate holdings in Florida. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1955 and died in 1961, just short of his 70th. birthday.

In July 2004 we received the following e-mail message from Dazzy Vance's grand nephew. We thought it was wonderfully exciting news that we wanted to share with our web site visitors:

I am his grandnephew. I possess the family bible. He was named "Charles Arthur Vance" at birth - listed in the bible in his mother's handwriting. As a young man he chose to change his name to "Arthur Charles Vance." The "Clarence" name occurred when a St Louis reporter pried for an exclusive and asked what the "C" stood for (Dazzy was listed as Arthur C. Vance) and Dazzy blurted out the name Clarence. He told me in 1958 that he was never able to "Un-Clarence" himself after that.

Gary Vance

After receiving the above message, we contacted Gary to see if we could place his information on our web site. Below is his response:

Sure, share the info with anyone. I live in Los Angeles. I'm a retired deputy sheriff. I am the proud owner of Dazzy's Hall of Fame ring. I don't know what happened to his World Series ring or all the uniforms and bats and pictures he displayed in his home before he died. Neither does his daughter Dorothy. She thinks her mom may have put them in storage and forgot about them or gave them away. She didn't ask before her mom died.

My grandfather, Fred Sumner Vance, also born in Orient, was Dazzy's older brother. They all moved to Webster Co., Nebraska in 1898, and my grandfather (and family) moved on to California in 1920.

My dad, Wayne Vance, was probably Dazzy's favorite nephew. When I was a kid, we traveled several times to Florida to visit with Daz and one of his other brothers (Wallace). (1950's)

I have a copy of his birth certificate but, as was common at the time, it only lists him as a boy child. He was born on the farm and the doctor apparently filled out the necessary papers after the birth, without knowing the child's given name. I also have a copy of his death certificate which lists him as Arthur Charles Vance.

Gary Vance