Faye Dancer
Encyclopedia
Faye Katherine Dancer was a center fielder
who played from through for three different teams of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
. Listed at 5'6", 145 lb., she batted and threw right-handed.
went on hold as men went to war, yet it was not really a well know fact until the 1992 film
A League of Their Own
, directed by Penny Marshall
and starred by Geena Davis
, Tom Hanks
, Madonna
, Lori Petty
and Rosie O'Donnell
, that brought many of the real players began to earn a rebirth of celebrity with the first season of the AAGPBL.
, Faye Dancer was the third of four children into the family of James and Olive (née Pope) Dancer. Her father worked as an inspector for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. He later became an appliance store owner and sponsored a men's local softball
team for a long time. While attending Santa Monica High School, the young Dancer played softball for a girls' team called the Dr Pepper
s, which was sponsored by the historic soft drink company. She attended University High School in West Los Angeles, where she broke an all-city basketball
record after shooting 42 baskets in just one minute. She also ran an obstacle course in 9.4 seconds and fast-walked the half mile in 2 minutes and 42 seconds, and enjoyed kicking balls with the boys.
After her graduation in 1941, Dancer started to play professional softball in a southern California league. In 1944 she came to the attention of a scout
of the All-American Girls Ball League, by then a hybrid of softball and baseball. The league had been founded the year before by Philip K. Wrigley
, a chewing-gum magnate and owner of the Chicago Cubs
Major League Baseball
club. Wrigley feared that major leaguers would be drafted into the military during World War II
, while minor leaguers
were already being called up. Teams of girls (never called women) seemed like a way to fill ballparks, according to an article in Smithsonian magazine
in 1989.
In 1944 Dancer signed a contract for $75.00 a week, which was a sizeable sum in those days and also the top salary for any player in the AAGPBL. As an aside, when retired in 1950 she was earning $125.00 per week. Her greatest attribute was her stunning speed, which made her an adept base stealer
. In her brief five-season career, she stole 358 bases, averaging 70 steals per season with a career-high 108 in her final year. She also was the first player in the league to hit two home run
s in a game, and the first to belt two grand slams
in a single season. Sometimes she pitched
, posting a 11-11 record with 43 strikeout
s and a 2.28 ERA
in 25 appearances. Her career was shortened by a serious back injury, but the impression Dancer left on the league and her teammates was one of dedication, hustle and fun. Everyone should leave the sport with the same things said about them.
, a helpless team who had a poor fan support and lacked of victories. In their inaugural season, the team finished dead last with a 23-36 record in the first half of the calendar and a 22-36 record in the second for an overall record of 45-72. Despite little encouragement, Dancer posted a .274 batting average
with 58 runs
and 48 runs batted in. Her 90 hits
included 44 for extra bases
and two grand slams. In search of a new horizon, the Millerettes moved to Fort Wayne, Indiana
in 1945 and were renamed the Daisies. During the next three seasons, Dancer became one of the most talented and colorful players of the league. She always entertained the crowd, thriving on their attention, with her spontaneous cartwheels and backflips en route to the center field. She also herself in the community, had fun, and gave the fans their money's worth on the field, not only at outfield, but also at first base or as an emergency pitcher. In 1945, Dancer dropped to .195 with 44 runs and 29 RBI, but posted a league-best three home runs. The next year he rebounded with a .250 average, 56 runs, and 43 RBI. In 1947, after 29 games with the Daisies, she was traded to the Peoria Redwings
. Dancer finished the season with a combined average of .237, 51 runs and 26 RBI. In 1948 for Peoria batted .272 with a career-high 89 runs, six home runs, 34 RBI, and ranked second behind Sophie Kurys
with 30 stolen bases. A lethany of injuries forced her to retire following that season.
Dancer tried a return with the Redwings in 1950, but a herniated disk from a sliding injury and a chipped vertebra forced her permanent retirement after just 49 games, though she hit .207 with 25 runs, 34 RBI, and amassed 108 stolen bases – by the time a league season record. She never appeared in any All-Star Team or played in the playoffs.
During the offseason Dancer worked as an electronics technician in the Howard Hugues Aircraft Company
. Following her baseball career, she labored for a power generator company in Santa Monica for 35 years and also opened an electronics business with her fellow player and longtime friend Pepper Paire
.
The AAGPBL folded in 1954, in part because Major League baseball was televised, but there is now a permanent display at the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum since November 5, that honors those who were part of this unforgettable experience. Dancer, along with the rest of the AAGPBL players, is now enshrined in the venerable building at Cooperstown, New York
. She joined more than seventy-five other former AAGPBL players for the opening of the exhibit, where her baseball glove
and spikes
are on permanent display, as well as her most famous photo that depicts her hustle and all-out play in 1948, while sliding into third base to avoid a tag. Still, the void the league filled during wartime was inspiration enough for the aforementioned film, which brought a rejuvenated interest to the women's baseball.
Dancer lived in Santa Monica until moving in with her brother Richard to Los Angeles, California
in 1990. Shortly after that, she was diagnosed with breast cancer
. Within a month of diagnosis, she underwent surgery to remove her left breast along with 18 lymph nodes and lost her longtime job.
In 2001, the Sacramento River Cats
team held a ceremony in which Dancer threw out the first pitch to Pepper Paire. Dancer insisted on throwing the full distance from the pitcher's mound to the plate. I don't want none of the 10 ft stuff, because I can still throw it far, she joked. After that she received chemoteraphy treatment.
.
This same year she was elected to the National Women's Baseball Hall of Fame.
to watch Jim Thorpe
, an American legend and former Olympic champ in 1912. But the time he had a baseball team (the Thunderbirds), but he did not have enough money to pay for the team's hotel rooms, so both girls offered to stay and play in a ball game to get him off the hook.
Center fielder
A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the baseball fielding position between left field and right field...
who played from through for three different teams of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League was a women's professional baseball league founded by Philip K. Wrigley which existed from 1943 to 1954. During the league's history, over 600 women played ball.-History:...
. Listed at 5'6", 145 lb., she batted and threw right-handed.
Women in baseball
The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League flourished in the 1940s when the Major LeaguesMajor League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
went on hold as men went to war, yet it was not really a well know fact until the 1992 film
1992 in film
The year 1992 in film involved many significant films. -Top grossing films:-Awards:Academy AwardsGolden Globe AwardsNational Film Awards...
A League of Their Own
A League of Their Own
A League of Their Own is a 1992 American comedy-drama film that tells a fictionalized account of the real-life All-American Girls Professional Baseball League . Directed by Penny Marshall, the film stars Geena Davis, Lori Petty, Tom Hanks, Madonna, and Rosie O'Donnell...
, directed by Penny Marshall
Penny Marshall
Penny Marshall is an American actress, producer and director.After playing several small roles for television, she was cast as Laverne DeFazio in the sitcom Laverne and Shirley...
and starred by Geena Davis
Geena Davis
Virginia Elizabeth "Geena" Davis is an American actress, film producer, writer, former fashion model, and a women's Olympics archery team semi-finalist...
, Tom Hanks
Tom Hanks
Thomas Jeffrey "Tom" Hanks is an American actor, producer, writer, and director. Hanks worked in television and family-friendly comedies, gaining wide notice in 1988's Big, before achieving success as a dramatic actor in several notable roles, including Andrew Beckett in Philadelphia, the title...
, Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
, Lori Petty
Lori Petty
Lori Petty is an American film and television actress best known for playing "Tyler Endicott" in Point Break in 1991, "Kit Keller" in A League of Their Own in 1992, and the title role in Tank Girl in 1995.-Early life:...
and Rosie O'Donnell
Rosie O'Donnell
Roseann "Rosie" O'Donnell is an American stand-up comedian, actress, author and television personality. She has also been a magazine editor and continues to be a celebrity blogger, LGBT rights activist, television producer and collaborative partner in the LGBT family vacation company R Family...
, that brought many of the real players began to earn a rebirth of celebrity with the first season of the AAGPBL.
Early life
Born in 1925 in Santa Monica, CaliforniaSanta Monica, California
Santa Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, California, US. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is surrounded on three sides by the city of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and...
, Faye Dancer was the third of four children into the family of James and Olive (née Pope) Dancer. Her father worked as an inspector for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. He later became an appliance store owner and sponsored a men's local softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
team for a long time. While attending Santa Monica High School, the young Dancer played softball for a girls' team called the Dr Pepper
Dr Pepper
Dr Pepper is a soft drink, marketed as having a unique flavor. The drink was created in the 1880s by Charles Alderton of Waco, Texas and first served around 1885. Dr Pepper was first nationally marketed in the United States in 1904 and is now also sold in Europe, Asia, Canada, Mexico, Australia ...
s, which was sponsored by the historic soft drink company. She attended University High School in West Los Angeles, where she broke an all-city basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
record after shooting 42 baskets in just one minute. She also ran an obstacle course in 9.4 seconds and fast-walked the half mile in 2 minutes and 42 seconds, and enjoyed kicking balls with the boys.
After her graduation in 1941, Dancer started to play professional softball in a southern California league. In 1944 she came to the attention of a scout
Scout (sport)
In professional sports, scouts are trained talent evaluators who travel extensively for the purposes of watching athletes play their chosen sports and determining whether their set of skills and talents represent what is needed by the scout's organization...
of the All-American Girls Ball League, by then a hybrid of softball and baseball. The league had been founded the year before by Philip K. Wrigley
Philip K. Wrigley
Philip Knight Wrigley , sometimes also called P.K. or Phil. Born in Chicago, he was an American chewing gum manufacturer and executive in Major League Baseball, inheriting both those roles as the quiet son of his much more flamboyant father, William Wrigley Jr. After his father died in 1932, Philip...
, a chewing-gum magnate and owner of the Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
club. Wrigley feared that major leaguers would be drafted into the military during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, while minor leaguers
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
were already being called up. Teams of girls (never called women) seemed like a way to fill ballparks, according to an article in Smithsonian magazine
Smithsonian (magazine)
Smithsonian is the official journal published by the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. The first issue was published in 1970.-History:...
in 1989.
In 1944 Dancer signed a contract for $75.00 a week, which was a sizeable sum in those days and also the top salary for any player in the AAGPBL. As an aside, when retired in 1950 she was earning $125.00 per week. Her greatest attribute was her stunning speed, which made her an adept base stealer
Stolen base
In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate...
. In her brief five-season career, she stole 358 bases, averaging 70 steals per season with a career-high 108 in her final year. She also was the first player in the league to hit two home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s in a game, and the first to belt two grand slams
Grand slam (baseball)
In the sport of baseball, a grand slam is a home run hit with all three bases occupied by baserunners , thereby scoring four runs—the most possible in one play. According to The Dickson Baseball Dictionary, the term originated in the card game of contract bridge, in which a grand slam involves...
in a single season. Sometimes she pitched
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe 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 a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
, posting a 11-11 record with 43 strikeout
Strikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters....
s and a 2.28 ERA
Earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...
in 25 appearances. Her career was shortened by a serious back injury, but the impression Dancer left on the league and her teammates was one of dedication, hustle and fun. Everyone should leave the sport with the same things said about them.
Professional career
Dancer entered the AAGPBL in 1944 with the expansion Minneapolis MillerettesMinneapolis Millerettes
The Minneapolis Millerettes were an expansion All-American Girls Professional Baseball League team that played for one season in 1944. They played their home games in Nicollet Park, home of the men's minor league team the Minneapolis Millers...
, a helpless team who had a poor fan support and lacked of victories. In their inaugural season, the team finished dead last with a 23-36 record in the first half of the calendar and a 22-36 record in the second for an overall record of 45-72. Despite little encouragement, Dancer posted a .274 batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
with 58 runs
Run (baseball)
In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured...
and 48 runs batted in. Her 90 hits
Hit (baseball)
In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....
included 44 for extra bases
Extra base hit
In baseball, an extra base hit , also known as a long hit, is any base hit on which the batter is able to advance past first base without the benefit of a fielder either committing an error or opting to make a throw to retire another base runner...
and two grand slams. In search of a new horizon, the Millerettes moved to Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne is a city in the US state of Indiana and the county seat of Allen County. The population was 253,691 at the 2010 Census making it the 74th largest city in the United States and the second largest in Indiana...
in 1945 and were renamed the Daisies. During the next three seasons, Dancer became one of the most talented and colorful players of the league. She always entertained the crowd, thriving on their attention, with her spontaneous cartwheels and backflips en route to the center field. She also herself in the community, had fun, and gave the fans their money's worth on the field, not only at outfield, but also at first base or as an emergency pitcher. In 1945, Dancer dropped to .195 with 44 runs and 29 RBI, but posted a league-best three home runs. The next year he rebounded with a .250 average, 56 runs, and 43 RBI. In 1947, after 29 games with the Daisies, she was traded to the Peoria Redwings
Peoria Redwings
The Peoria Redwings were a women's professional baseball team who joined the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League in the season. The team represented Peoria, Illinois....
. Dancer finished the season with a combined average of .237, 51 runs and 26 RBI. In 1948 for Peoria batted .272 with a career-high 89 runs, six home runs, 34 RBI, and ranked second behind Sophie Kurys
Sophie Kurys
Sophie Kurys is a former second basewoman who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 5", 115 lb., Kurys batted and threw right-handed.-Career:...
with 30 stolen bases. A lethany of injuries forced her to retire following that season.
Dancer tried a return with the Redwings in 1950, but a herniated disk from a sliding injury and a chipped vertebra forced her permanent retirement after just 49 games, though she hit .207 with 25 runs, 34 RBI, and amassed 108 stolen bases – by the time a league season record. She never appeared in any All-Star Team or played in the playoffs.
During the offseason Dancer worked as an electronics technician in the Howard Hugues Aircraft Company
Hughes Aircraft
Hughes Aircraft Company was a major American aerospace and defense contractor founded in 1932 by Howard Hughes in Culver City, California as a division of Hughes Tool Company...
. Following her baseball career, she labored for a power generator company in Santa Monica for 35 years and also opened an electronics business with her fellow player and longtime friend Pepper Paire
Pepper Paire
Lavonne Paire Davis [″Pepper″] is a former catcher and infielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 4", 138 lb., she batted and threw right-handed.-Overview profile:...
.
The AAGPBL folded in 1954, in part because Major League baseball was televised, but there is now a permanent display at the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum since November 5, that honors those who were part of this unforgettable experience. Dancer, along with the rest of the AAGPBL players, is now enshrined in the venerable building at Cooperstown, New York
Cooperstown, New York
Cooperstown is a village in Otsego County, New York, USA. It is located in the Town of Otsego. The population was estimated to be 1,852 at the 2010 census.The Village of Cooperstown is the county seat of Otsego County, New York...
. She joined more than seventy-five other former AAGPBL players for the opening of the exhibit, where her baseball glove
Baseball glove
A baseball glove or mitt is a large leather glove that baseball players on the defending team are allowed to wear to assist them in catching and fielding balls hit by a batter, or thrown by a teammate.-History:...
and spikes
Track spikes
Track spikes, or just spikes, are pointed protrusions usually made of metal, ceramic or plastic that are screwed into the bottom of most track and field shoes to increase traction and minimize the likelihood of slipping. The term "spikes" can also refer to track shoes featuring such protrusions...
are on permanent display, as well as her most famous photo that depicts her hustle and all-out play in 1948, while sliding into third base to avoid a tag. Still, the void the league filled during wartime was inspiration enough for the aforementioned film, which brought a rejuvenated interest to the women's baseball.
Dancer lived in Santa Monica until moving in with her brother Richard to Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
in 1990. Shortly after that, she was diagnosed with breast cancer
Breast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...
. Within a month of diagnosis, she underwent surgery to remove her left breast along with 18 lymph nodes and lost her longtime job.
In 2001, the Sacramento River Cats
Sacramento River Cats
The Sacramento River Cats is a minor league baseball team based in Sacramento, California. The team plays in the Pacific Coast League and is the Triple-A affiliate of Major League Baseball's Oakland Athletics....
team held a ceremony in which Dancer threw out the first pitch to Pepper Paire. Dancer insisted on throwing the full distance from the pitcher's mound to the plate. I don't want none of the 10 ft stuff, because I can still throw it far, she joked. After that she received chemoteraphy treatment.
Death
Dancer died, aged 77, in 2002 after undergoing cancer surgery at the UCLA Medical CenterRonald Reagan UCLA Medical Center
The Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center is a hospital located on the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles in Los Angeles, California....
.
This same year she was elected to the National Women's Baseball Hall of Fame.
Personal life
Dancer never allowed her antics off the field to interfere with playing baseball. She frequently played with injuries, sustained from diving for fly balls or running into teammates or stands. A tough and free spirit lady, she was known as the AAGPBL joker and an inveterate rule breaker, kicking against league structures on her private life. Dancer smoked and drank, and after her fiancé Johnny was killed in action during World War II, she never really considered marrying anybody else, despite having a significant number of boyfriends.Fact
Before the 1945 season, Dancer and Paire stopped in ArizonaArizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
to watch Jim Thorpe
Jim Thorpe
Jacobus Franciscus "Jim" Thorpe * Gerasimo and Whiteley. pg. 28 * americaslibrary.gov, accessed April 23, 2007. was an American athlete of mixed ancestry...
, an American legend and former Olympic champ in 1912. But the time he had a baseball team (the Thunderbirds), but he did not have enough money to pay for the team's hotel rooms, so both girls offered to stay and play in a ball game to get him off the hook.
Batting statistics
| GP Games played Games played is a statistic used in team sports to indicate the total number of games in which a player has participated ; the statistic is generally applied irrespective of whatever portion of the game is contested.-Baseball:In baseball, the statistic applies also to players who, prior to a game,... | AB At bat In baseball, an at bat or time at bat is used to calculate certain statistics, including batting average, on base percentage, and slugging percentage. It is a more restricted definition of a plate appearance... | R Run (baseball) In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured... | H Hit (baseball) In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice.... | 2B Double (baseball) In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice.... | 3B Triple (baseball) In baseball, a triple is the act of a batter safely reaching third base after hitting the ball, with neither the benefit of a fielder's misplay nor another runner being put out on a fielder's choice.... | HR Home run In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process... | RBI Run batted in Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI... | SB Stolen base In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate... | BA Batting average Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 591 | 2072 | 323 | 488 | 53 | 14 | 16 | 193 | 352 | .236 |