Bud Clancy

With a transient career wedged between two World Wars, Bud Clancy earned a major-league berth in the wake of a gambling scandal. Shuttling regularly amongst various leagues, he persevered and patrolled first base for 20 professional baseball seasons. “His release reveals one of the unfortunate phases of baseball,” the Philadelphia Inquirer reported following his final major league game, “the picture of a man able to play, but for whom there is no room.”1

Clancy’s name would be an afterthought had Bill Cissell fielded an eighth-inning grounder cleanly. When Chad Kimsey flied out to center field on April 27, 1930, Clancy secured his place in baseball trivia. He hit a fifth-inning run-scoring single as the Chicago White Sox defeated the St. Louis Browns, 2-1, at Sportsman’s Park. But as the first baseman he did not record a putout, an assist or an error during a nine-inning game—a first in American League history.

John William “Bud” Clancy was born on September 15, 1900. He was part of an Irish Catholic farming family from Odell, Illinois, a rural community of approximately 1,000 residents2 located southwest of Chicago on the Chicago and Alton Railroad. John was one of five children born to Charles W. Clancy (1858-1907) and the former Mary Clara Danaher (1870-1955).3 His father, a “prominent and prosperous farmer,”4 died when Bud was young. His mother remarried several years later.

Details of Clancy’s childhood are limited. The lefthander—who grew to 6-foot, 170 pounds—honed his batting and two-handed defensive5 skills while gaining notoriety on local sandlots.6 His nephew, John Michael Clancy, recalled family stories about his uncle displaying his offensive prowess behind St. Paul’s Catholic Church, “hitting the ball over there … by the steeple.”7

A regular among the local semipros, Clancy focused upon college after earning his diploma from St. Paul Catholic High School in 1919. He garnered a reputation among northern Illinois semipros as a stellar left-handed first baseman and hitter.

“He looks like a sure find,” said local semipro manager Alex Densmore. “Bloomington and Peoria of the Three I league offered him contracts, but he turned them down to finish school. He is the best fielding first sacker seen in these parts in many a day and is also a good hitter.”8

With ambitions of practicing medicine,9 Clancy prioritized earning his degree while continuing to play ball. He enrolled at St. Viator College, a Roman Catholic institution10 located south of Chicago in Bourbonnais, Illinois, beginning with the 1919-1920 academic year. Being “tall and rangy,” Clancy excelled as a two-sport collegiate athlete. In addition to baseball, he was a “power to be feared” on the hardwood.11 As a forward, Clancy “was an ace on the short trys [sic] and strong in getting the ball away from his own net.”12

Under the training of Rev. Elias M. Kelly, CSV, Clancy’s performance at first base and at the plate earned the label “the Babe Ruth of the team.”13 Rev. Kelly, director of athletics and baseball coach, transformed St. Viator, into a baseball powerhouse in the Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC). When St. Viator defeated Augustana College to win the IIAC title during Clancy’s first season in 1920, it was the college’s third time in four years as champions of the so-called “Little Nineteen” conference.14 How Clancy earned his college nickname “Dizz” is unclear, but he received accolades for his defensive and offensive play, having “rapidly jumped from the ranks of the ordinary to the phenom class.”15

Along with a full collegiate schedule, Clancy latched on with local semipro outfits and town teams like the Lowell (Indiana) Stars,16 the Frank L. Smiths (Dwight, Illinois)17 and the Ashkum, Illinois squad.18 But his brief tenure with the independent Ottawa (Illinois) Cubs proved fortuitous19 and elevated his profile.20 Following the 1920 semipro season, Clancy was selected as the best semipro first baseman in Northern Illinois, one who after “a little seasoning … will make real fast company.”21

Dennis “Dinny” Dunn, a former pitcher and first baseman,22 managed Ottawa and doubled as a Chicago White Sox scout.23 Dunn organized an exhibition game on August 10, 1922, against Chicago.24 Almost 2,000 fans25 watched the American Leaguers edge the locals, 1-0.26 Eddie Collins’ third-inning single plated the game’s lone run.27

Ottawa battled, but Clancy earned plaudits for his performance patrolling first base. “The lanky lefthander,” according to reporters, “took all the throws to first. He would scoop up a low one and then reach up into the air and pull down a throw that was nearly ten feet off the ground.”28 White Sox coach Johnny Evers was impressed.29

Clancy arranged to join the White Sox—for compensation rumored as $600 to sign, $3,600 for 1923—after St. Viator College’s June 1923 commencement.30 With his Bachelor of Arts degree and Marsile Politeness Medal in hand,31 he could not relish the moment for long.

“Baseball is a serious business to me,” Clancy said. “I never had much money anyway and I had the value of a dollar pretty well drilled into me while I was going to school. I made athletics pay for my course and now I’m going to try and make it pay for my start in life.”32

Following graduation, Clancy joined the Michigan-Ontario League and gained professional experience. White Sox management optioned him to the Grand Rapids (Michigan) Billbobs.33 The Odellian spent the remainder of 1923 with the Billbobs, who finished in seventh place in the eight-team league. During his stay, Clancy’s “able sticking and flashy fielding” at first base impressed reporters.34

Labeled as “one of the sweetest looking players”35 at first base, Clancy joined the Muskegon (Michigan) Anglers in 1924 with elevated expectations. He made an impression “hitting ’em far and wide”36 and was said to have the potential to “become the Babe Ruth of the circuit, as he is hitting the ball over every section of the local fences.”37 Once Clancy started hitting, he did not stop. Fans noticed. So did the Sox. Chicago’s management sought daily reports about their prospect.38 Clancy’s 40-game hitting streak that summer drew comparisons to George Sisler,39 the Browns first baseman who compiled a 41-game streak in 1922.40 Clancy punched his ticket to the majors and made a White Sox roster that lacked talent.

Clancy joined the White Sox in the wake of the Black Sox scandal. Chicago sank in the American League standings following the pennant-winning 1919 season. The Sox dropped to second in 1920. From 1921 through 1923, Chicago languished between fifth and seventh place. Buried in the Junior Circuit deep into the 1924 season, the squad trudged through a dismal August which included a season-high 13-game losing streak (August 9-August 26). Clancy made his major-league debut on August 29, 1924, in Cleveland.

Although the rookie got only one hit, the Chicago Tribune’s James Crusinberry was impressed. noting that Clancy “looked like a good hitter,” especially his “timely wallop in the fifth that tied the score” and drove home Collins.41

Logging 13 games, Clancy hit .257 for Chicago with a .316 on-base percentage and slugged at a .286 clip, but the White Sox did not improve in the standings and finished the season in last place (66-87-1, .431). Though a newcomer, he joined the ranks of pros slated for an ambitious international goodwill baseball tour. The White Sox and New York Giants prepared rosters, including additional American and National Leaguers, to play exhibition games throughout fall in Canada, Ireland, England, and France.42

Organizers Charles Comiskey and John McGraw considered it a promotional success “to strengthen the bond of sport between this country and Europe,”43 but not a profitable one. The trip left an indelible impression upon Clancy, especially the game at Dublin’s historic Croke Park. Owing to inclement weather, lack of publicity, and Sunday church services, the game attracted fewer than 20 fans.44 Despite damp conditions and poor attendance, the Sox defeated the Giants, 8-4. Chicago tallied 14 hits and played immaculate defense.45 Among the hits, one was a Clancy home run. His nephew reminisced about “an Irish kid from Odell hitting a home run in Dublin.”46 White Sox secretary Harry Grabiner was impressed with Clancy’s performance, stating that his “work at first base, his hitting and general playing stamp him as a major leaguer.”47

Collins, who became White Sox manager in 1925, gave Clancy a spot on the opening day roster. During the season’s first month, Clancy never took the field and received only four pinch-hitting opportunities, going hitless. Chicago sold him to the Southern Association’s Little Rock (Arkansas) Travelers.48

Clancy spent the majority of the next two seasons in Little Rock before returning to Chicago. In 1925, the Travelers finished in the Southern Association’s cellar (67-86, .438) despite his .297 average in 113 games. Clancy hit .340 in 141 games the following season for another last-place team (51-98, .342).49

Come September 1926, the White Sox welcomed Clancy back to Comiskey Park. Inserted at first base during his return, he finished 3-for-4 against the Detroit Tigers. On the verge of his 26th birthday, Clancy “stood out heroically in the combat with a double, a single, and a triple in four times up.”50 He played 12 games down the stretch as Chicago finished fifth in the American League (81-72-2, .529).4.

Change occurred on Chicago’s South Side prior to the 1927 season. Comiskey named catcher Ray Schalk, a mainstay since 1912, as manager.51 Comiskey Park also received several structural improvements.52 After years of shuttling between the White Sox and the minors, Clancy secured a role at the major-league level that season. He remained on the White Sox roster through 1930. Though he played 130 games in both 1927 and 1928, his playing time waned significantly in 1929 and 1930.

Despite reduced action, Clancy etched his name in baseball history when Chicago beat the Browns, 2-1, on April 27, 1930. That afternoon, he established a modern mark and became the first American League first baseman to play a nine-inning game without recording a putout, an assist, or an error. That feat had occurred just once prior in professional baseball, when Al McCauley of the American Association’s Washington Statesmen did so in 1891. 53

Following the 1930 season, Chicago dealt Clancy to the International League’s Jersey City Skeeters.54 He emerged as a fan favorite with the Class AA team in 1931, earning this status by “fielding in an efficient manner” and hitting that “ranks among the league’s best.”55 On May 24, 1931, the team paid tribute with “Bud Clancy Day” against the Newark Bears.56 The Skeeters (65-102, .389) closed the season finishing seventh in the eight-team league. He saw action in all 167 games that season and hit .312 with 13 home runs.

His hometown welcomed Clancy back with a game in his honor. On September 27, 1931, the Chicago Columbia Giants defeated the Odell Boosters, 7-1.57 Clancy, along with fellow Odellian John Fonger, a Davenport Blue Sox pitcher, suited up for the local squad. Their opponents included Jim Brown, Frog Holsey, and Pinky Ward.58 As the year came to a close, Clancy faced the prospect of returning to the minors.

The Brooklyn Dodgers had a first-base dilemma in 1932. When Del Bissonette suffered a freak spring training injury,59 it opened a revolving door. Four players, including George Kelly, auditioned unsuccessfully.60 Clancy opened the season with the Skeeters and compiled a .307 batting average and tallied 13 home runs before Dodgers management swapped him for Kelly.

Now in the National League, Clancy reported to Ebbets Field for a July 31 doubleheader against the Chicago Cubs. The teams split the twin bill, with Chicago winning the first game, 6-3, and Brooklyn taking the second, 5-4. Clancy went 6-for-8 that afternoon with two doubles and four singles. Game recaps praised his hitting and defense, but because Clancy was four inches shorter and 20 pounds lighter than Kelly, they mocked his “meagre frame” donning his predecessor’s former uniform.61

Brooklyn assumed that Bissonette would reclaim first base in 1933. But Clancy, who’d filled the void during the second half of 1932, had to battle the newly acquired veteran Joe Judge. Clancy’s demotion was imminent. Several Dodgers, including Clancy, expressed dissatisfaction with their upcoming salaries. “Contract terms indicate I do not fit in Brooklyn club scheme,” Clancy said, via wire.62 Sold outright to Jersey City,63 Clancy led the squad by playing 161 games. He batted .288 with six home runs as the Skeeters (61-104, .371) finished fourth in the International League’s South region, and worst of the league’s eight teams.

As 1933 waned, Clancy moved again. He remained within the International League, this time traded to the Buffalo (New York) Bisons in exchange for cash and infielder Roy Tarr. During 1933, the league advanced the Skeeters enough money to remain in operation. The funds received in the Clancy deal were paid back to the league.64

The deal reunited Clancy with Schalk, his former Chicago teammate. Schalk began managing the Bisons in 1932. After opening Buffalo’s 1934 campaign and playing 28 games, Clancy’s batting average fell to .231. But another major-league opportunity knocked when the Philadelphia Phillies acquired him in exchange for pitcher Frank Pearce and cash.65 However, his tenure on Jimmie Wilson’s squad was brief. He made 10 appearances at first and 10 as a pinch-hitter. When the Phillies acquired 27-year-old Dolph Camilli from the Cubs, Clancy became expendable. Clancy’s performance picked up after he returned to the Bisons, but ultimately, he did not fit into the team’s projected plans.66

Accustomed to baseball’s transient nature, and without a likely path back to the majors, Clancy returned to the Southern Association via a trade to the Birmingham Barons for the 1935 season.67 Newly married to Bronwen Rachel Rhys, a product of Ottumwa, Iowa, and a former history teacher at Odell Community High School,68 Clancy enjoyed stability, remaining with the team through the close of the decade. Zipp Newman of the Birmingham News assured local fans they were signing a “great fielding first baseman” who was “as graceful and active as a Russian dancer.” Newman also noted that the 34-year-old had “put on some weight since he played with Little Rock, but he isn’t overweight in any sense of the word.”69 Clancy also gained the honorary nickname Uncle Bud.

During most of Clancy’s Barons tenure, the club was around the bottom of the Southern Association standings, but he enjoyed a charmed 1936 season. The Barons (82-70) finished the regular season in third place behind the first-place Atlanta Crackers and runner-up Nashville Vols. But in the playoffs, Clancy and company marched to the finals and defeated the New Orleans Pelicans in four games with one contest ending in a tie. Clancy batted .321 with 13 homers and won “most popular Baron” via a competition run by team concessionaire Jacobs Brothers.70

Sensing his playing days waning, Clancy focused upon management.71 With a handful of games remaining in the 1939 season,72 the Louisville Smokies claimed him on waivers from the Barons.73 The two parties failed to reach an agreement, so Clancy returned to Birmingham. But he did not sign with the Barons and started the new decade as player-manager of the Helena (Arkansas) Seaporters.74

“We are very pleased at securing Clancy as our manager and we believe he will give us a winning club,” said Al Haraway, Helena’s team president. “He has many contacts in both the majors and minors and should be able to secure a number of young players for Helena.”75

During his managerial debut, Clancy lifted the Seaporters from the league’s worst record in 1939 (57-82), to third place (71-60). Despite losing to the El Dorado (Arkansas) Lions in the playoffs, Clancy earned praise as a team leader, noted as “one of the finest moulders [sic] of new material.”76 Prior to the conclusion of the playoff series, he received gifts from the team and was rendered speechless.77

“Last season some of Helena’s wolves almost rode some of his best players off the team,” said Charlie Kerg, columnist with the Delta Democrat-Times (Greenville, Mississippi). “Bud worked hard with the Helena entry and deserves another shot at the pennant.”78

The Dodgers took notice, and in 1941, tapped Clancy as player-manager in the newly formed eight-team California State League.79 “We’re ready,” he said of his Santa Barbara Saints. “I think we’re going to have a good club, one that will get better as it goes along.”80

Ready they were. The Saints (83-56) finished the regular season second to the Fresno Cardinals (90-50). They defeated the Bakersfield Badgers three games to one in the playoffs, then claimed the championship after besting Fresno four games to one.81

As Clancy relished the Saints’ championship, questions revolved around the new league’s health. Only six of the eight teams finished the 1941 regular season. The San Bernardino Stars and Riverside Reds disbanded on June 29. With the world engulfed in war, the California League’s fate was unclear. “I’m quite positive the league will be carried on this season,” said Bill Hitchcock, Saints president, expressing optimism about 1942.82

Off the playing field, Clancy worked for Vultee Aircraft, Inc., an aircraft manufacturing company headquartered in Downey, California. Not entirely removed from the national pastime, Clancy played ball for the factory team. He registered for the draft, but being 41 years old, faced long odds of being called into the military.83 Whether he would return to the Saints remained a question, but something the team president supported. “We’d like to have him back,” Hitchcock said.84

Only four teams organized for the 1942 California League season, and Clancy returned as Santa Barbara’s player-manager. Riddled with challenges related to wartime restrictions and plummeting attendance,85 the league suspended operations on June 28. Clancy’s team stood atop the standings with a 43-24 record, but the Dodgers intervened and found Clancy a Class D job.

“I was managing the Santa Barbara club in the California League when it folded up,” Clancy said. “Now I’m going to Valdosta to join that city’s Georgia-Florida League club.”86 Clancy inherited a team atop the standings, then guided the the Valdosta (Georgia) Trojans to a first place (81-45) finish. But his dream of another championship fell short as the Waycross (Georgia) Bears defeated Valdosta in the finals.

Lower minor-league circuits, including the Georgia-Florida League, faced uncertainty from the draft and gas rationing.87 Clancy remained on the Trojans’ reserve list, but he faced the reality of life after baseball. League directors ultimately suspended operations for 1943,88 and Clancy’s professional playing days ended.

Since the late 1930s, Clancy had contemplated his post-baseball options. During the 1920s, his brother Michael joined a funeral home business in Kankakee, Illinois.89 Clancy followed suit and studied to become a mortician.90 In 1938 he passed his embalmer exam,91 and in 1940 was graduated from Worsham College of Mortuary Science.92 However, his embalmer days were short lived. Without baseball in Valdosta, Clancy accepted a position with Chicago Bridge and Iron Company in its Seneca, Illinois, shipyard93 where Navy tank-landing crafts were constructed.94 But baseball remained in the picture.

Chicago Bridge and Iron organized a recreation program to entertain its nearly 9,000 employees.95 When the director of recreation created a baseball team, he tapped Clancy to play and manage. The new team, dubbed Clancy’s Seneca Shipbuilders, squared off against nearby factories and teams constructed of major- and minor-leaguers. Dizzy Dean joined Clancy’s squad on July 11, 1943, to dedicate the team’s new ballfield. Before the game, the two ballplayers dazzled the crowd of 1,000 fans with tales from professional baseball. Dean proceeded to pitch the game’s first three innings, then played three more at first base. The Shipbuilders defeated the Springfield (Illinois) Rossiter All-Stars, 7-2.96 After the war ended in 1945, Clancy lobbied for another baseball role.

The Boston Braves, in the wake of World War II, brought an innovative approach to training camp in 1946 when the franchise convened 10 affiliated clubs in Greenwood, Mississippi. The organization anticipated approximately 200 players under contract from high-level affiliates in the American Association and Eastern League; as well as others including the Three-I, Southeastern, Florida International, Ohio State, Kentucky-Illinois-Tennessee, and Carolina State leagues.97 Clancy, announced as manager of the Bluefield (West Virginia) Blue Grays, would help evaluate Boston’s prospects.98

“I played a little bit down in Greenwood,” Clancy said, justifying his decision to forgo playing and only manage, “and I think we can do better than me on first base.”99

Known for his congenial demeanor, Clancy was oblivious to the acrimony between team president Clyde Elliott and business manager Ed Smith, Jr. A local columnist, Stubby Currence, documented the tension carefully, especially Clancy’s tenuous job status; he cited correspondence between the Braves and Blue Grays management.100

“All of the boys present at the first workout are inexperienced in professional baseball,” Clancy said, “and I doubt very much if we get any experienced help prior to the Hartford game next Sunday. However, we’ll be in there fighting and hope to give them a good game.”101

Experienced players never arrived. Boston, which maintained a working agreement with Bluefield, offered Smith talent. According to Currence, Smith’s “pinch-penny and dollar-grabbing tactics” led him to refuse the Braves’ offers and opt for “inferior and cheaper ball players.”102

Smith fired Clancy on June 17, 1946, claiming he wanted a player-manager, which exposed the magnitude of the team’s dysfunction.103 “Clancy has not been treated right,” Elliott said. “We had an agreement with Clancy for the entire season.”104 The Braves resolved the situation by purchasing the entirety of Smith’s team stock and one share from Elliott to claim controlling interest of Bluefield. The Braves retained Clancy as a scout105 and he attended tryout camps throughout the Midwest.106

“It was a complete surprise, coming just as it did when it looked like we might be able to start moving with a few more players that I’ve been promised will be brought here,” Clancy said. “My being let out came as a complete surprise, and I didn’t have any notice of it at all, and I haven’t the least idea what my future plans are. I am going home to Iowa, and may quit baseball and go into business.”107

Rumors about Clancy’s future circulated. An unnamed Welch (West Virginia) Miners player joked, “If the Miners get Clancy, and the club is buried in the cellar. . .seeing how Clancy’s profession outside of baseball is an undertaker, the only thing we’ll need down here is a liberal supply of embalming fluid.”108

Upon his release, Clancy relocated to his wife’s hometown of Ottumwa, Iowa. During March 1949109 he secured a position within John Deere Ottumwa Works’ inspection and quality control department.110 Clancy even managed and coached the company’s semipro team during the late 1940s and early 1950s.111 He intended to build an outstanding team, “one that can hold its own with any semi-pro club in the state and the field is open.”112

Clancy suffered two significant losses during 1959. His wife of 24 years, Bronwen, died at home on February 16 from chronic rheumatic valvular disease113 and was buried alongside her father in Ottumwa. Clancy’s baseball coach from St. Viator College, Rev. Kelly, CVS, died in April.114

Later in 1959, Chicago won the American League pennant and Clancy’s spirits lifted. On October 1, he made the journey to Comiskey Park to watch the White Sox defeat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 11-0, during Game One of the World Series. Clancy, who ordered his tickets weeks in advance, departed for Chicago before his tickets arrived, so a neighbor made arrangements to catch up with him.115

After nine months of poor health, Clancy retired in September 1965. He freely spoke about his playing days and hoped to travel “and to enjoy baseball as a spectator.”116 Clancy was among the White Sox alumni honored in Chicago prior to a doubleheader against the New York Yankees on July 31, 1966.117

On September 27, 1968, Bud Clancy—a 68-year-old widower—died at Ottumwa’s St. Joseph Hospital. His cause of death was listed as hypostatic pneumonia and severe emphysema.118 Clancy and his late wife did not have children, and he was survived by two brothers, Michael and Joseph, and his sister, Mary. Clancy was buried in his family’s plot in St. Paul Cemetery, outside of Odell.

Acknowledgments

In addition to the sources consulted below, the author would like to extend a special thank-you to the Dwight Historical Society’s Kim Drechsel and Kelli Drechsel; Dr. Veena Korah; SABR’s Jacob Pomrenke; and Susan Wilson.

This biography was reviewed by Rory Costello and Mike Ginocchio and checked for accuracy by SABR’s fact-checking team.

Photo credit: Bud Clancy, Trading Card Database.

Sources

In addition to the sources shown in the Notes, the author used Baseball-Reference.com.

Notes

1 “Frink, University of Illinois Outfielder Signed by Phillies,” The Philadelphia Inquirer, June 29, 1934: 21.

2 US Census Bureau, “Table 5.—Population of the Incorporates Cities, Towns, and Villages of Illinois: 1890 and 1900—Continued.” (1900 census), https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1900/bulletins/demographic/21-population-il.pdf, accessed January 11, 2025.

3 “Mrs. Mary C. Ruddy,” The (Bloomington, Illinois) Pantagraph, October 5, 1955: 5.

4 “Nevada Farmer Dead,” Dwight (Illinois) Star & Herald, February 9, 1907: 4.

5 “Dusting ‘em Off,” Birmingham (Alabama) News, April 24, 1935: 12.

6 “Bud Clancy Signs with Phillies for Third Major Start,” The Fairbury (Illinois) Blade, June 15, 1934: 8.

7 John Michael Clancy, telephone interview, December 18, 2024.

8 “Six Joliet Men are Picked on All-Star Squad,” (Joliet, Illinois) Herald News, October 21, 1920: 10.

9 “Tribute to Clancy Tonight,” The (Joliet, Illinois) Spectator, September 26, 1957: 29.

10 Wittemann, Adolph , “St. Viator’s College,” Chronicling Illinois, accessed January 29, 2025, https://chroniclingillinois.org/items/show/18553

11 “Men of the Monogram,” The Viatome, 1922: 180.

12 “Men of the Monogram,” The Viatome, 1922: 180.

13 “John Clancy,” The Viatorian, Volume 40, No. 5.

14 “St. Viator is Baseball Best in Conference,” Rock Island (Illinois) Argus, May 28, 1920: 21.

15 “John Clancy, first base,” The Viatome, 1922: 198.

16 “Southern Lake Co. Ball League Organized,” The (Hammond, Indiana) Times, January 19, 1923: 14.

17 “Frank L. Smiths Win,” Dwight (Illinois) Star & Herald, August 5, 1922: 1.

18 “Clancy Signs Sox Contract,” Pontiac (Illinois) Daily Leader, December 5, 1922: 4.

19 “Dunn Signs Clancy, Former St. Viator Star, to Play First Base,” Ottawa (Illinois) Free Trader-Journal, April 14, 1922: 13.

20 “Clancy Signs Sox Contract,” Pontiac (Illinois) Daily Leader, December 5, 1922: 4.

21 “1920 All Star Semi-Pro Club,” Dwight (Illinois) Star & Herald, October 23, 1920: 6.

22 “Dennis Dunn, Ottawa, Dies; Rites Saturday,” The (Streator, Illinois) Times, July 5, 1946: 5.

23 “’Dinny’ Dunn Dies; Widely Known in Baseball Circles,” (Ottawa, Illinois) Daily Republican Times, July 3, 1946: 2.

24 “All of White Sox Stars to Play in Thursday’s Game,” Ottawa (Illinois) Free Trader-Journal, August 8, 1922: 2.

25 “Big Crowd Sees White Sox in Action Here,” Ottawa (Illinois) Free Trader-Journal, August 10, 1922: 4.

26 “Lone Tally Scored by Big Leaguers Recorded as ‘Gift,’” Ottawa (Illinois) Free Trader-Journal, August 11, 1922: 4.

27 “Sox Take Exhibition,” The Rockford (Illinois) Republic, August 11, 1922: 10.

28 “Lone Tally Scored by Big Leaguers Recorded as ‘Gift,’” Ottawa (Illinois) Free Trader-Journal, August 11, 1922: 4.

29 “Clancy, White Sox Rookie First-Baseman, Looks Like Real Star,” The Daily Nonpareil (Council Bluffs, Iowa), September 1, 1927: 9.

30 “Clancy Signs Sox Contract,” Pontiac (Illinois) Daily Leader, December 5, 1922: 4.

31 “Commencement Day Exercises,” The Viatorian, Volume 40, No. 5.

32 “Tribute to Clancy Tonight,” The (Joliet, Illinois) Spectator, September 26, 1957: 29.

33 “Billbobs Get Clancy,” The Kalamazoo (Michigan) Gazette, June 18, 1923: 8.

34 “Kelly Must Build a New Baseball Team at Viators,” The (Bloomington, Illinois) Pantagraph, March 19, 1924: 10.

35 “Local Club to Start Coming Year with Strong Lineup; Secure Pair of Infield Stars from White Sox,” Muskegon (Michigan) Chronicle, January 9, 1924: 9.

36 “Frankie Thinks Muskegon Will Lead the Chase,” Muskegon (Michigan) Chronicle, April 11, 1924: 18.

37 “Anglers to Meet Colored Team in Two-Game Series,” Muskegon (Michigan) Chronicle, April 11, 1924: 1.

38 “White Sox Want Bud Clancy, But He’ll Stay Here,” Muskegon (Michigan) Chronicle, August 1, 1924: 18.

39 “Clancy’s Batting Orgy Near Big League Mark,” The Washington (District of Columbia) Times, August 2, 1924: 15.

40 “Longest hitting streaks in MLB history,” MLB.com, Accessed February 18, 2025, https://www.mlb.com/news/longest-hitting-streaks-in-mlb-history.

41 “Cleveland Beats Sox in Ten Innings, 5 to 4,” Chicago Tribune, August 30, 1924: 12.

42 “Announce Roster of Teams to Make Round-World Trip,” The Buffalo (New York) Courier, October 7, 1924: 10.

43 “Giants, Sox in N.Y.’ Say Tour a Success,” Chicago Tribune, December 3, 1924: 23.

44 “20 Irish See Sox Wallop the Giants,” Waukegan (Illinois) News-Sun, October 29, 1924: 2.

45 “Ball Game in Dublin Proves to Be Fiasco,” Chicago Daily News, October 28, 1924: 21.

46 John Michael Clancy, telephone interview, December 18, 2024.

47 “Grabiner Says Trip Was Successful,” The (Nashville) Tennessean, December 4, 1924: 10.

48 “Bud Clancy Sold By Sox to L.R.,” The (Bloomington, Illinois) Pantagraph, May 18, 1925: 10.

49 “Timeline,” Southern Association Baseball, Accessed January 19, 2025, https://www.southernassociationbaseball.com/timeline.pdf.

50 “Clancy Collects Three Hits,” Chicago Tribune, September 8, 1926: 21.

51 “Schalk Off for Minor Meeting,” Chicago Tribune, December 6, 1926: 29.

52 “Sox Prepare for 60,000 at Homecoming Wednesday,” Chicago Tribune, April 17, 1927: 30.

53 “Sets Modern Mark, —But Did Nothing,” The Sporting News, May 1, 1930: 3.

54 “White Sox Sell First-Sacker to Jersey City Nine,” (Chicago) Daily Times, January 21, 1931: 24.

55 “White Sox Castoff Going Great for Skeeters,” (Chicago) Daily Times, June 8, 1931: 57.

56 “Jerseys’ Brilliant First Baseman to Be Rewarded for Remarkably Fine Playing,” The Jersey (City) Journal, May 23, 1931: 11.

57 “Odell Students Visit Parents Over Week-end,” The (Streator, Illinois) Times, September 30, 1931: 5.

58 “Ex-American Giant Players Win Game,” The Chicago Defender, October 3, 1931: 9.

59 Will Anderson, “Del Bissonette,” SABR BioProject; https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/del-bissonette/.

60 “Clancy Fifth First Sacker for Brooklyn,” The Bayonne (New Jersey) Times, August 22, 1932: 6.

61 “Fancy Bud Clancy Proves a Riot in Debut at Ebbets Field,” The Brooklyn Eagle, August 1, 1932: 16.

62 “Dodgers Stars Resent Large Salary Cuts,” The Brooklyn Eagle, January 22, 1933: 34.

63 “’Bud Clancy is Sold,” The Chenoa (Illinois) Clipper-Times, November 16, 1933: 8.

64 “Bud Clancy Has Been Sold,” The Chenoa (Illinois) Clipper-Times, May 25, 1933: 8.

65 “Phillies Buy Clancy; Send Pearce to Bisons on Option,” The Philadelphia Inquirer, June 3, 1934: 26.

66 “First Baseman Sold Outright to Birmingham,” Buffalo (New York) Courier Express, November 24, 1934: 19.

67 “First Baseman Sold Outright to Birmingham,” Buffalo (New York) Courier Express, November 24, 1934: 19.

68 “Former Odell Teacher Dies,” The (Streator, Illinois) Times, February 25, 1959: 8.

69 “Dusting ‘Em Off,” The Birmingham (Alabama) News, March 19, 1935: 13.

70 “Bud Clancy Is Declared To Be Most Popular of Barons,” The Birmingham (Alabama) Post-Herald, September 12, 1936: 12.

71 “Dusting ‘Em Off,” The Birmingham (Alabama) News, September 13, 1939: 16.

72 “Back With Barons,” The Birmingham (Alabama) News, January 29, 1940: 11.

73 “Bud Clancy Given Back to Barons,” The Knoxville (Kentucky) News-Sentinel, January 28, 1940: 17.

74 “To Manage Helena,” The Birmingham (Alabama) News, March 1, 1940: 34.

75 “Bud Clancy is Signed up as Club Manager,” The (Helena, Arkansas) Daily World, February 29, 1940: 1.

76 “Scoopin ‘Em Up,” The (Greenville, Mississippi) Delta Democrat-Times, December 27, 1940: 6.

77 “Helena Eliminated From Playoff As Oilers Win, 5-3,” The (Greenville, Mississippi) Delta Democrat-Times, September 6, 1940: 6.

78 “Scoopin ‘Em Up,” The (Greenville, Mississippi) Delta Democrat-Times, December 9, 1940: 6.

79 “John Clancy Released by Helena Club,” The (Helena, Arkansas) Daily World, February 14, 1941: 6.

80 “Ray Hathaway Named To Pitch For Locals,” The Santa Barbara (California) News-Press, April 18, 1941: 17.

81 “1941 California League Standings,” Stats Crew, Accessed January 24, 2025, https://www.statscrew.com/minorbaseball/standings/l-CALL/y-1941.

82 “Baseball Hopes High in California League,” Santa Barbara (California) News-Press, January 13, 1942: 4.

83 US World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 for John William Clancy.

84 “Baseball Heads Await Stockton League Meeting,” Santa Barbara (California) News-Press, January 3, 1942: 8.

85 “California League Will Disband For Duration After Games Tomorrow,” The Fresno (California) Bee, June 27, 1942: 8.

86 “Clancy Still Clicks—20 Seasons Behind Him,” The Birmingham (Alabama) Post, July 8, 1942: 10.

87 “Little Hope,” The Macon (Georgia) News, January 16, 1943: 5.

88 “Georgia-Florida Votes to Disband,” The Atlanta (Georgia) Constitution, February 1, 1943: 14.

89 “History & Staff,” Clancy-Gernon Funeral Homes, Accessed January 24, 2025, https://www.clancygernon.com/who-we-are/history-and-staff.

90 “On The Level,” The Birmingham (Alabama) Post-Herald, October 14, 1936: 15.

91 “Young’s Yarns,” The (Bloomington, Illinois) Pantagraph, March 14, 1938: 8.

92 “John Clancy, Former Sox Player and Odellian, Dies,” Pontiac (Illinois) Daily Leader, September 27, 1968: 8.

93 “Edw. Dancisak Named Head of Sports Setup,” The (Streator) Times, April 21, 1943: 5.

94 “Ocean-Going Naval Vessels Are Built in Prairie’s Midst,” Dixon (Illinois) Evening Telegraph, May 27, 1943: 2.

95 “Seneca Shipyards To See Baseball,” The (Bloomington, Illinois) Pantagraph, October 1, 1943: 8.

96 “Dizzy Hurls as Shipyards Triumph, 7-2,” The (Streator) Times, July 12, 1943: 5.

97 “200 Braves’ Farm System Players to Train Together,” The Boston (Massachusetts) Globe, March 11, 1946: 6.

98 “Former White Sox Slugger To Manage And Play 1st Base,” Bluefield (West Virginia) Daily Telegraph, March 10, 1946: 24.

99 “Blue Grays Begin Practice Sessions Here This Afternoon,” The Bluefield (West Virginia) Daily Telegraph, April 17, 1946: 16.

100 “The Press Box,” The Bluefield (West Virginia) Daily Telegraph, July 25, 1946: 7.

101 “Clancy Looks At Blue Grays,” Bluefield (West Virginia) Daily Telegraph, April 18, 1946: 14.

102 “Boston Nationals Promise Bluefield Good Baseball Club,” The Bluefield (West Virginia) Daily Telegraph, November 10, 1946: 9.

103 “Clancy Released as Bluefield Manager,” Bristol (Tennessee) Herald Courier, June 18, 1946: 5.

104 “Bud Clancy Is Out As Blue Gray Boss; Eli Harris To Welch,” The Bluefield (West Virginia) Daily Telegraph, June 18, 1946: 10.

105 “Boston Braves Sign Nuckolls, Red Oak Star,” Council Bluffs (Iowa) Nonpareil, September 6, 1946: 12.

106 “Braves Open Tryout Camp Here July 17,” The Des Moines (Iowa) Register, July 9, 1946: 11.

107 “Bud Clancy Is Out As Blue Gray Boss; Eli Harris To Welch,” The Bluefield (West Virginia) Daily Telegraph, June 18, 1946: 10.

108 “Do The Miners Need Embalming Fluid?,” The Bluefield (West Virginia) Daily Telegraph, June 19, 1946: 14.

109 “Clancy Retiring From Service With John Deere,” Ottumwa (Iowa) Courier, September 16, 1965: 11.

110 “John Clancy dies; former ball player,” Ottumwa (Iowa) Courier, September 27, 1968: 8.

111 “John Clancy dies; former ball player,” Ottumwa (Iowa) Courier, September 27, 1968: 8.

112 “Deere Ball Club To Practice Sunday,” Ottumwa (Iowa) Daily Courier, April 8, 1949: 10.

113 “Former Odell Teacher Dies,” The (Streator) Times, February 25, 1959: 8.

114 “The Rev. Elias M. Kelly, 77, Formerly a Superior at CU,” The (Washington, DC) Evening Star, April 6, 1959: 13.

115 “Browsing Around,” Ottumwa (Iowa) Daily Courier, September 30, 1959: 7.

116 “Clancy Retiring From Service With John Deere,” Ottumwa (Iowa) Courier, September 16, 1965: 11.

117 “A Rundown of the Day as Old-Timers Get Red Carpet Treatment,” Chicago Tribune, August 1, 1966: 69.

118 “Certificate of Death,” State of Iowa, September 30, 1968.