James Dunn (August 21, 1897 – March 6, 1987) was an American
soccer forward who spent nine seasons with
Ben Millers Ben Millers was a U.S. soccer club sponsored by the Ben W. Miller Hat Company of St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1913, it entered the St. Louis Soccer League two years later, winning seven league titles and one National Challenge Cup before its d ...
in the
St. Louis Soccer League and was inducted into the
National Soccer Hall of Fame in 1974.
Biography
Dunn began his career with
Christian Brothers College (CBC) of the St. Louis Municipal League, the city’s de facto second division. CBC won the league title, but Dunn moved to the
Missouri Athletic Club
The Missouri Athletic Club (often referred to as the MAC), founded in 1903, is a private city and athletic club with two locations. The Downtown Clubhouse is in Downtown St. Louis, Missouri, USA and the West Clubhouse is located in the St. L ...
for the 1915-1916 season. Dunn won a second Municipal League title that season before turning professional with the
Ben Millers Ben Millers was a U.S. soccer club sponsored by the Ben W. Miller Hat Company of St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1913, it entered the St. Louis Soccer League two years later, winning seven league titles and one National Challenge Cup before its d ...
of the
St. Louis Soccer League. Dunn played the 1916-1917 season with Ben Millers, winning another league title. At the end of the season, Dunn enlisted in the U.S. Navy for two years. When he returned to St. Louis in 1919, he re-signed with
Ben Millers Ben Millers was a U.S. soccer club sponsored by the Ben W. Miller Hat Company of St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1913, it entered the St. Louis Soccer League two years later, winning seven league titles and one National Challenge Cup before its d ...
becoming the team’s starting center forward. Ben Millers won the 1919-1920 league title. In May 1920, Ben Millers won the
National Challenge Cup over
Fore River of the
Southern New England Soccer League
The Southern New England Soccer League was a semi-professional soccer league based in New England which was established in 1914 and collapsed in 1921. During its short existence, it featured some of the top teams in the northeast United States. ...
. Dunn, captain for the game, scored the winning goal, twelve minutes into the second half for the 2-1 win. Ben Millers did not win another league title until the 1924-1925 season. However, that championship put them into the one-time American Professional Soccer Championship. In 1925, the
St. Louis Soccer League and
American Soccer League boycotted the
National Challenge Cup. In its place, they competed in what they called the American Professional Soccer Championship which pitted the champions of the two leagues. The
Ben Millers Ben Millers was a U.S. soccer club sponsored by the Ben W. Miller Hat Company of St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1913, it entered the St. Louis Soccer League two years later, winning seven league titles and one National Challenge Cup before its d ...
faced the
Boston Soccer Club
The Boston Soccer Club was a member of the American Soccer League. They were renamed the Boston Bears for the Fall 1929 ASL season.
In 1925, the ASL and the St. Louis Soccer League (SLSL) boycotted the National Challenge Cup, now known as the ...
for a two-game series. The first, played in St. Louis, went to Ben Millers, with Dunn scoring the game’s lone goal. On the return game in Boston, the 'Wonder Workers' won 3-1, with Dunn again scoring. The final, and deciding, game took place two weeks later in St. Louis. The 'Wonder Workers' won the game and the title with a 3-2 victory. Dunn again scored in the loss. Ben Millers repeated as league champion in each of the next two seasons and finished runner-up to
Bethlehem Steel
The Bethlehem Steel Corporation was an American steelmaking company headquartered in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. For most of the 20th century, it was one of the world's largest steel producing and shipbuilding companies. At the height of its succe ...
in the 1926
National Challenge Cup. Over his nine seasons with Ben Miller, Dunn scored fifty-three goals.
Honors
Dunn was inducted into the St. Louis Soccer Hall of Fame in 1971
and the
National Soccer Hall of Fame in 1974.
References
External links
National Soccer Hall of Fame profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dunn, Jimmy
1897 births
Soccer players from St. Louis
American men's soccer players
St. Louis Soccer League players
Ben Millers players
National Soccer Hall of Fame members
1987 deaths
Men's association football forwards