Venice, Florida has a long history of baseball and a rich collection of baseball cards connected to its athletes. Located about an hour south of Tampa along the Gulf Coast, Venice is a small town that has punched above its weight when it comes to producing major league baseball talent over the decades. From the early 1960s through today, Venice high school baseball has been renowned as a incubator for professional baseball players and the cards representing those players hold a special significance for collectors in the area.
One of the first Venice players to garner widespread attention was outfielder Tommy Harper. An All-American at Venice High in the early 1960s, Harper was signed by the Cincinnati Reds in 1963 and made his MLB debut with them in 1965. Throughout the 1960s Tommy Harper established himself as a speedy switch hitter and prolific base stealer, playing for the Reds, Cardinals and Phillies. His baseball cards from that era, whether from Topps, Fleer or other manufacturers, carry special cachet for Venice collectors as one of the first baseball heroes to emerge from their town.
While Tommy Harper blazed the trail, the 1970s brought increased notoriety for Venice baseball through brothers Joe and Dick Ruthven. Pitchers Joe and Dick both attended Venice High in the early 70s before being signed by the Philadelphia Phillies. Joe Ruthven debuted in the majors in 1974 while Dick arrived in 1976 and both enjoyed long, successful careers mainly with the Phillies. Their early 1970s minor league and rookie cards are quite collectible, showing the budding talents from Venice before they made names for themselves in Philadelphia.
The 1980s saw Venice produce perhaps its most famous baseball alumni with brothers B.J. and Justin Upton. Outfielders B.J. and Justin attended Venice High in the late 90s/early 2000s before being drafted 2nd and 1st overall respectively in 2005 and 2002. B.J. enjoyed a long MLB career including all-star appearances while Justin is still active after nearly 2 decades in the bigs. rookies and prospects from the early 2000s showing the Upton brothers in their Venice uniforms hold enormous appeal for collectors with ties to the town.
In more recent decades, the pipeline of talent from Venice High to the majors has continued strongly. Pitcher Tommy Hanson came out of Venice in the late 2000s before being drafted out of high school by the Braves and enjoying a solid MLB career. Speedy outfielder Mallex Smith also attended Venice High in the early 2010s before being taken in the 2013 draft and carving out a role in the big leagues. Cards from their minor league days displaying the Venice insignia remain quite collectible for tracking the history of excellence from the area.
While producing many stars over the decades, Venice High baseball has also had some legendary coaches. Tom DiPuglia won over 900 games as the head coach from 1969-2009, leading numerous Venice teams to state championships. His leadership helped develop stars like the Uptons and Hanson along with many other pros. Collectors love tracking DiPuglia’s coaching career through vintage Venice team and booster club sets from the 1970s-2000s era that often picture the coach.
Beyond just the players and coaches, Venice-centered baseball card sets also carry historical value. In the 1970s and 80s, local fire departments, sports clubs and booster groups would often produce their own custom baseball or football sets centered around Venice teams. These unusual vintage sets help capture the spirit of Venice baseball through unique amateur photos or highlight reels of future pros as local teenagers. Similarly, collectors seek local Venice newspaper photographic baseball cards from the 60s-80s that picture the likes of the Ruthvens and Harper in their youth.
Today Venice baseball continues its strong tradition with MLB alumni frequently returning to coach or support the high school team. Annual Venice baseball card shows and group charity sets help track today’s prospects coming out of the program. While the likes of the Uptons and Harper have reached the pinnacle of stardom, Venice collectors remain dedicated to documenting and preserving the rich history of baseball in their town through the countless cards produced over decades featuring the many talented players who got their start in the friendly confines of the Venice diamond. With baseball deeply engrained in the community’s fabric, Venice area collectors can expect their tradition and the cards representing it to thrive for generations to come.
