Inductees

The original plan? Well, there were a few of them. In fact, at one point, Trevor Vance changed his college major for the fourth time.

“I wanted to be the next Chris Berman,” he says now with a laugh, referring to the former ESPN personality.

That was in the late 1980s, when Vance spent summers working for the grounds crew at Kauffman Stadium as a way to help pay for college. Eventually, he approached George Toma (MSHOF 2016), the Kansas City Royals’ chief groundskeeper, about making it a career.

“George said, ‘No. You need to get a real job. The pay is terrible. The hours are terrible,’” Vance said.

Fortunately, Vance didn’t listen, and so he has spent his life in the thick of big-league baseball. It’s some story, one that led the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame to proudly induct Vance with the Class of 2022.

This season marks his 38th season with the Royals, and his 28th as the Senior Director of Groundskeeping and Landscaping. These days, Vance oversees the supervision and overall operation of the natural grass field at Kauffman Stadium in one of the most challenging weather environments in the game.

Additionally, he works with the Royals’ Dominican Academy, Urban Youth Academy and minor league groundskeepers to promote safe playing surfaces. He also has helped several youth organizations throughout Kansas City to ensure the same for youth sports.

Overall, he is one of the few who can say he was on the field during the Royals’ past three World Series appearances (1985, 2014, 2015). In 1985, just after graduating from Raytown High School, he came aboard as a part-time member before attending the University of Central Missouri.

“They initially let me push a broom on the infield dirt,” Vance said. “And I ‘graduated’ to using AJAX on home plate in the World Series.”

He joined the grounds crew full time in 1988, earned a promotion to Assistant Groundskeeper in 1993 and, after the 1994 season, took on Toma’s role after he moved into consulting.

“They said they were doing a coast-to-coast search for George’s successor. But I was the only applicant because no one wanted to fill George’s shoes,” Vance said. “But I felt there was no way in the world I could fail with George still there.”

To Vance, the experiences since have certainly been memorable: he has worked 15 Super Bowls, three Pro Bowls and the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

However, the relationships mean even more.

“George was a perfectionist,” Vance said. “I missed a lot of things my friends did between 18 and 22. But while they were out being rowdy, I was getting paid. And George taught us this, ‘Do it for yourself. You’re not going to get recognized but do it right the first time.’”

Vance now oversees four full-time workers – Ricky Phillips, Chris McKenzy, Clint Elder and Paul Brack – and a crew of 15 overall during the summer. Shane Montgomery and Jon Reed are two key assistants, and Anthony Bruce has handled machinery since 1985.

It’s a crew also in charge of the thousands of ornamental plants in and around Kauffman Stadium. Yet taking care of the field is the focal point – and a chore.

“It’s one of the toughest places to be successful and grow grass,” Vance said. “We’re in the transitional zone. We get as hot as Texas and as cold as Minnesota. You’ve got to stay on top of your turf.”

The dirt? That’s the toughest to maintain.

“If your mound is off a quarter of an inch, pitchers can feel that,” Vance said. “Every night, we have about $300 million worth of ballplayers out there. So we want the field to be like an umpire – you see it, but it’s not part of the game.”

Which is why he thanks local companies, too, such as John Deere, Site One, Weather or Not and Diamond Pro. He also cannot thank the front office enough.

“I have a front office that believes in me and lets me do my job,” Vance said. “Without the support of the front office, I’d be handcuffed.”

Even better, he has long had the support of his wife, Laura, and their children, Kelsie, Tanner, Hayden and Morgan. They’ve spent their summers at the ballpark, too, often helping in some way.

“It’s been a great run,” Vance said. “Yes, the dog days can beat you down. But feel like I’ve never worked a day in my life.”