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

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

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

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