Joseph Edward Dunn (March 11, 1885 – March 19, 1944) was a professional baseball player who played catcher for the Brooklyn Superbas during the 1908 & 1909 baseball seasons.
| Joe Dunn | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Catcher | |
| Born: March 11, 1885 Springfield, Ohio | |
| Died: March 19, 1944 (aged 59) Springfield, Ohio | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 12, 1908, for the Brooklyn Superbas | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 26, 1909, for the Brooklyn Superbas | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .169 |
| Home runs | 0 |
| Runs batted in | 7 |
| Teams | |
| |
He became a minor league baseball manager after his playing career ended, winning league championships in 1919, 1920 and 1930.
Dunn was a key figure in reestablishing minor league baseball in his hometown of Springfield, Ohio in 1928. Without a team since 1917, Dunn and his siblings Charles and Katherine had formed the "Springfield Baseball Club Inc." to secure a franchise as the Central League was reforming. The three siblings sold some shared of the franchise stock to Frank Navin, who was the owner of the Detroit Tigers. They received $5,000 from Navin for the stock. In return, Navin secured a percentage of the ballpark concessions and held first-refusal rights on any players that Springfield signed. The Springfield team was then established.[1]
The Springfield Dunnmen were named for their manager in 1929, one season before Dunn led Springfield to the Central League championship.[2]
On Sunday, March 19, 1944, residing in Springfield, Dunn became ill during a church service and was taken to the nearby Bancroft Hotel, where died in the lobby of a heart attack. He is buried in Calvary Cemetery in Springfield. Kitty Dunn, his wife, lived in the family home until her death in 1968.[1]
Minor league managing career edit
- Dallas Giants (1915)
- Springfield Reapers (1916–1917)
- Bloomington Bloomers (1919–1921)
- Denver Bears (1922)
- Birmingham Barons (1922)
- Evansville Little Evas (1924)
- Evansville Pocketeers (1925)
- Elmira Colonels (1926–1927)
- Springfield Buckeyes (1928)
- Springfield Dunnmen (1929)
- Springfield Blue Sox (1930)
- Bloomington Cubs (1931)
References edit
- ^ a b "Joe Dunn – Society for American Baseball Research".
- ^ "Joe Dunn Minor & Independent Leagues Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
External links edit
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference, or Baseball Reference (Minors)
- Joe Dunn - Society for American Baseball Research
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