Van Vance began his broadcasting career at WKAY in Glasgow while in high school, worked at WVLK while at the University of Kentucky, and was hired at WHAS in 1957. He built strong a sportscasting career, including work as the exclusive voice of the Louisville Cardinals in football and basketball, broadcasting three Final Fours including the 1986 championship. He was the “Voice of the Kentucky Colonels of the ABA,” that broadcast many Kentucky state tournaments in the Sweet 16 and over 40 Kentucky Derbies on both radio and TV. He hosted Kentucky’s top Sportstalk Radio show five nights a week and featured coach’s shows with Denny Crum and Rick Pitino. Vance also worked extensively with the Library of Congress at the American Printing House of the Blind, reading books and magazines. He was a 1952 graduate of Park City High School, and attended Western Kentucky University and the University of Kentucky. Vance retired in 1999 and was inducted into the Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame in 2004.