Vance Carlson ’50 originally entered McPherson College in the fall of 1943, only to interrupt his education and enter the U.S. Air Force early in 1944.
Upon his return to campus, after advancing to the rank of lieutenant during World War II, Carlson earned All-KCAC basketball honors in 1947.
His collegiate athletic career came to a premature end when, after signing a contract with the New York Yankee professional baseball club, he was declared ineligible to compete further in intercollegiate sports. He would go on to have a 10-year minor league career in professional baseball.
With his college eligibility ended, Vance continued to work toward his degree, graduating in 1950. During that time he began his officiating career in football and basketball at the high school and small college levels.
Carlson would go on to be known as one of the leading football referees in collegiate football. He would be enshrined in the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame in 2003 after a 27-year career as a collegiate football official, primarily for the Big 8 Conference. He worked 270 major college football games. Among those were15 major bowl games including two Orange Bowls in addition to the Sugar, Aloha, Peach, Bluebonnet, and Independence Bowls. Vance served as referee for national championship games in 1971, 1978, and 1983 as well as the Thanksgiving 1971 “Game of the Century” between the University of Oklahoma and the University of Nebraska. In basketball, he was selected to officiate in two NAIA national basketball tournaments.
Named to the Kansas Baseball in 1988 and Kansas Collegiate Officials Halls of Fame in 1992, Carlson managed McPherson’s Ban Johnson baseball team to three state championships and one state semi-pro runner-up finish between 1956 and 1959. In 1975, he directed the McPherson American Legion team to a state title.
A former member of the McPherson College Board of Trustees, Carlson received the College’s Citation of Honor in 1984. After 26 years as owner and manager of Starlite Lanes and Restaurant in McPherson, Vance retired to Hays, Kan., where he currently resides.
