President
Dean Chance
 Wooster, Ohio

DEAN CHANCE, an All Star right-handed pitcher whose baseball career was cut short by injuries, may never make it into the Hall of Fame at Cooperstown, NY. But, as president of the International Boxing Association (IBA), he works with many Hall of Fame fighters.

Chance, an intimidating 6'3", 225-pounder with a blazing fastball and an explosive slider, played for 11 seasons in the Major Leagues.  Born June 1, 1941 in Wayne County, Ohio, Dean turned pro in 1959 and reached The Show in 1961 with the  Los Angeles Angels..

Among Dean's career highlights: a complete game no-hitter in 1964, 292 innings pitched in 1968, 39 games started and 18 complete games in 1967, 234 strikeouts in 1968, and shares the major league record of six 1-0 complete game wins in a season.  Lifetime stats:  406 games, 294 starts, 128 wins, 115 losses, 33 shutouts, 23 saves, 2.92 lifetime ERA, 2148 innings pitched, 1864 hits, 1534 strikeouts, and 739 walks.  Named right-handed "American League Pitcher of the Decade" (1960s) by The Sporting News.

In 1964, Chance started the All Star Game at Shea Stadium, and won the Cy Young Award, when only one such honor was given between the two leagues.   Highlights of Dean's phenomenal '64 campaign included a 20-9 record, a league-leading 1.65 ERA, and an amazing 11 shutouts among his 15 complete games.  And, despite starting 35 games that year, Chance also pitched in relief 11 times and recorded four saves.

Traded to the Minnesota Twins  in 1967, Dean represented the American League and again started the All Star Game in Anaheim, ironically the home park of his former club, the California Angels.  Chance also repeated as a 20-game winner.

Dean was dealt to his hometown Cleveland Indians in 1970, then went to the New York Mets near the end of that season.  He finished his career with the Detroit Tigers in 1971.

Dean once went 14 innings against the Washington Senators, leaving with the score 0-0, and was known as the "Yankee Killer" because of his many wins over New York.  He faced many future Hall of Famers in his career, but his statistics suffered from continually playing with inferior ballclubs.    In today's market, Chance would earn in excess of $7.5 million per season, a fortune but not as much as Oscar De La Hoya earns per fight!