​When you hear the name Dan Quisenberry, what’s the first thing that comes to your mind?Is it his fabulous pitching record? Is it his unusual submarine delivery? Could it be his wicked sense of humor? Maybe it’s his red hair and ’70s police officer/porn star mustache?AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIt might be all or a combination of those things.One thing is certain: Dan Quisenberry was an outstanding pitcher and a one-of-a-kind human being. There’s never been another one quite like him with the Royals or Major League Baseball, for that matter.Quisenberry’s path to the major leagues was as unusual as the man himself. Quiz and his older brother Marty, also a pitcher, played at smallish Orange Coast College before Dan matriculated to La Verne College, where he became an NAIA All-American.He was ready to move on with his post-baseball life when Ben Hines, the coach at La Verne, talked to Royals legendary scout Rosey Gilhousen, the man who scouted George Brett.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementGilhousen mentioned that they needed an additional pitcher at Class A Waterloo, and Hines replied, “I’ve got a guy for you.”Dan drove his battered Gremlin (remember those?) ten minutes to Rosey’s house in Santa Ana and signed for $500 a month plus a Royals bat, pen, and lapel button.Dan made his way to Waterloo, which must have been a culture shock coming from Los Angeles. On Sunday, June 22, 1975, Dan attended services at the Church of Christ, a large brick church located on the 4th Street church row, and was baptized. That afternoon, he made his professional debut, throwing a seven-inning complete-game win over Wausau in the first game of a doubleheader. This was Quiz’s first and last start as a professional pitcher. Manager John Sullivan informed him after the game that he was being moved to the bullpen because he needed a relief pitcher who could throw strikes.That 1975 Waterloo team was something else. Older locals still talk about them. They finished with a 93-35 record. Their .726 winning percentage still ranks among the best in the history of the minor leagues. Despite that, the team was not loaded with future stars. Quisenberry and 19-year-old outfielder Willie Wilson were the only two who had a major impact. German Barranca, Charlie Beamon, Roy Branch, Joe Gates, Luis Silverio, and Mark Souza all appeared briefly but never attained stardom.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementEven Quiz wasn’t a sure thing. Said Wilson, “I didn’t see him going to the big leagues.”Quiz split 1976 between Waterloo and AA Jacksonville. He spent all of 1977 and 1978 in Jacksonville and, at the age of 25, seemed more like organizational filler. The Royals finally moved him to Omaha for the 1979 season, where he was adequate but far from spectacular.Kansas City, short of bullpen arms, reluctantly gave him a shot in July 1979. He made his major league debut on July 8 with 2⅔ innings of shutout ball against the White Sox. He made 32