Cal McVey was born in rural Montrose, Iowa and moved to Indianapolis at 11, where he learned baseball and soon excelled at the game, playing for the Western and Active clubs in the National Association of Base Ball Players (NABBP).

[1] The Cincinnati Daily Times described Cal McVey in this way: "He is powerfully built, with broad shoulders and barrel chest...handsome though shy, and is a favorite of the ladies.

He hired McVey, Charlie Gould, and George Wright to join him, composing almost half the team that just missed winning the first National Association pennant.

Partly because the rules forbade such tampering, Chicago led the founding of a new National League of Professional Base Ball Clubs (NL).

The Big Four and Cap Anson led the team to an easy win on the field, with McVey serving as regular first baseman, second pitcher to Spalding, and second catcher to White.