Vance was one of the greatest pitchers in baseball history. A Major League Baseball Hall of Famer, he was the National League Most Valuable Player in 1924, threw a no-hitter against the Philadelphia Phillies in 1925 and led the league in strikeouts from 1922 to 1928. He played for the St. Louis Cardinals famed “Gashouse Gang” when they won the 1934 World Series. At Hastings High he played baseball and football and ran track.