Vern Frantz

Vern Frantz was born in Newton in 1929 and graduated from Wichita East High in 1946.

A right-handed pitcher with a wicked curve ball, Frantz pitched in five professional seasons in the Brooklyn Dodgers’ system.  His best season was 1950 when he was 14-9 in Class C Santa Barbara.  His final season was 1951.

Following his professional career, Frantz pitched four years with the Boeing Bombers, including 1954 and 1955 when they won back-to-back national titles. The team also won the Global World Series in Milwaukee where Frantz was one of two pitchers who notched two victories. 

Frantz and his wife Mary celebrated 70 years of marriage in 2018.  Frantz died in Salina in 2019 at the age of 90.