Jimmy Dunne (footballer, Born 1905)
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James Dunne (3 September 1905 – 14 November 1949) was an Irish
footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...
who played for, among others,
Shamrock Rovers Shamrock Rovers Football Club is an Irish professional Association football, football club based in Tallaght, South Dublin. The club's senior team competes in the League of Ireland Premier Division and it is List of football clubs by competit ...
,
Sheffield United Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The club competes in the Championship, the second tier of English football. They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history ...
,
Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
and
Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...
. Dunne was also a dual internationalist and played for both Ireland teams: the FAI XI and the IFA XI. Dunne was the first Irishman to figure prominently in the English League scoring records. In the 1930–31 season he scored 41 league goals for
Sheffield United Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The club competes in the Championship, the second tier of English football. They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history ...
. This became a club record and remains the most league goals scored by an Irishman during a single English League season. In the 1931–32 season, he scored in 12 consecutive matches, a record until
Stan Mortensen Stanley Harding Mortensen (26 May 1921 – 22 May 1991) was an English professional footballer, notable for his part in the 1953 FA Cup final (subsequently known as the " Matthews Final"), in which he became the only player ever to score a hat- ...
scored in 15 for
Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside town in Lancashire, England. It is located on the Irish Sea coast of the Fylde peninsula, approximately north of Liverpool and west of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. It is the main settlement in the Borough of Blackpool ...
in the 1950–51 season. Dunne also scored 30 or more First Division goals in three consecutive seasons between 1930 and 1933. He excelled at either centre forward or inside forward and was outstanding with his head. On 27 September 1930, he scored a
hat-trick A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three. Origin The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three Wick ...
of headers against
Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...
. He was a fringe member of the great
Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
side of the 1930s before spending a season at
Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...
and then finishing his career at
Shamrock Rovers Shamrock Rovers Football Club is an Irish professional Association football, football club based in Tallaght, South Dublin. The club's senior team competes in the League of Ireland Premier Division and it is List of football clubs by competit ...
. Dunne died suddenly from a heart attack, at the age of 44, on 14 November 1949. His two sons,
Tommy Tommy may refer to: People and fictional characters * Tommy (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Tommy Atkins, or just Tommy, a slang term for a common soldier in the British Army * Tommy Giacomelli (born 1974), Brazilian fo ...
and
Jimmy Jimmy may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Jimmy'' (2008 film), a 2008 Hindi thriller directed by Raj N. Sippy * ''Jimmy'' (1979 film), a 1979 Indian Malayalam film directed by Melattoor Ravi Varma * ''Jimmy'' (2013 f ...
, also played in the
League of Ireland The League of Ireland is a national association football Sports league, league consisting of professional clubs in the Republic of Ireland and Derry, Derry City in Northern Ireland. It is governed by the Football Association of Ireland. It was ...
for St. Patrick's Athletic. Tommy also played for
Shamrock Rovers Shamrock Rovers Football Club is an Irish professional Association football, football club based in Tallaght, South Dublin. The club's senior team competes in the League of Ireland Premier Division and it is List of football clubs by competit ...
. His nephew, another Tommy Dunne, also played for Rovers and another nephew Christy Doyle, played for Shelbourne and the
Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland, with a population of about 5.4 million. ...
.


Club career


Early years

Dunne initially played junior football. However, his career was put on hold during the
Irish Civil War The Irish Civil War (; 28 June 1922 – 24 May 1923) was a conflict that followed the Irish War of Independence and accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State, an entity independent from the United Kingdom but within the British Emp ...
when he was interned by the
Irish Free State The Irish Free State (6 December 192229 December 1937), also known by its Irish-language, Irish name ( , ), was a State (polity), state established in December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 1921. The treaty ended the three-ye ...
authorities for alleged Republican sympathies. His brother, Christy, was an active Republican. He subsequently joined
Shamrock Rovers Shamrock Rovers Football Club is an Irish professional Association football, football club based in Tallaght, South Dublin. The club's senior team competes in the League of Ireland Premier Division and it is List of football clubs by competit ...
and played a number of games for the club's senior team. A scout recommended him to New Brighton, then playing in the English Third Division North. Dunne joined New Brighton in November 1925 and made an instant impact, scoring six goals in eight league games.''The Boys in Green – The FAI International Story'' (1997): Sean Ryan ()Northern Ireland's Footballing Greats
/ref>


Sheffield United

Dunne soon attracted the interest of First Division side
Sheffield United Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The club competes in the Championship, the second tier of English football. They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history ...
who signed him in February 1926 for £800. However, this marked the start of another apprenticeship in the reserves. He made his first team debut in a 4–0 home win against
Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
on 4 September 1926 but he struggled to hold a regular place and in his first three seasons played just eleven league games. His first goal came against
Derby County Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club in Derby, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system. One of the 12 founder members of the English Football ...
on 15 October 1927. Dunne had to wait three years before he became an established member of the United team and at one stage, they put him on the transfer list. It was not until the 1929–30 season that Dunne became a goalscoring sensation. His first hat-trick against
Leicester City Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...
in a 3–3 draw on 7 September 1929 was followed by successive four-goal hauls against
West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Stratford, London, Stratford, East London, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English f ...
on New Year's Day (4–2) and
Leicester City Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...
(7–1) three days later. He scored another hat-trick against
Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second level of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. Th ...
on 3 March. He finished the season as the club's top goalscorer with 36 goals in 39 games and his goals helped United avoid relegation on goal average. Dunne was subsequently top goalscorer at United for four consecutive seasons between 1929 and 1933. This included scoring over 30 First Division goals in three consecutive seasons between 1930 and 1933. His best season was 1930–31, when he scored 41 league goals plus a further nine in other competitions; his 41-goal haul remains the record tally in the English League by an Irishman.


Arsenal

Dunne's goalscoring form with
Sheffield United Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The club competes in the Championship, the second tier of English football. They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history ...
soon attracted the interest of
Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
. In early 1932 they offered United £10,000 for Dunne but were turned down. However, in September 1933, after United hit financial trouble, they accepted a reduced fee of £8,250. Dunne made his debut for Arsenal against
Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ), colloquially known as Boro, is a port town in the Borough of Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England. Lying to the south of the River Tees, Middlesbrough forms part of the Teesside Built up area, built-up area and the Tees Va ...
on 30 September 1933 in a 6–0 win and went on to score 9 goals in 23 league games during the 1933–34 season, helping Arsenal win the First Division title. However, the arrival of
Ted Drake Edward Joseph Drake (16 August 1912 – 30 May 1995) was an English football player and manager. As a player, he first played for Southampton but made his name playing for Arsenal in the 1930s, winning two league titles and an FA Cup, as well ...
in the summer of 1934 saw Dunne lose his place in the Arsenal first team, and he would only play another 8 games over the next two seasons. Dunne was dubbed "the most expensive reserve player in English football" in the press, although his Arsenal colleagues clearly recognised his talents, with
Cliff Bastin Clifford Sydney Bastin (14 March 1912 – 4 December 1991) was an English footballer who played as a winger for Exeter City and Arsenal. He also played for the England national team. Bastin is Arsenal's third-highest goalscorer of all time. Cl ...
remarking he was "one of the best five centre forwards I had ever seen".


Southampton

In July 1936 Dunne signed for
Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...
where he was nicknamed "Snowy" by the fans because of his fair hair. Described as "dangerous in the air (with) a short striding run which enabled him to retain his balance in quick moves near the goal", he was the Saints' leading scorer during the 1936–37 season, scoring 14 league goals in 36 games, helping Southampton to avoid relegation to the Third Division. At the end of the season, Dunne turned down the opportunity to renew his contract at Southampton and opted to return to
Shamrock Rovers Shamrock Rovers Football Club is an Irish professional Association football, football club based in Tallaght, South Dublin. The club's senior team competes in the League of Ireland Premier Division and it is List of football clubs by competit ...
. Eighteen months after leaving the club, Dunne was given a rousing salute by Southampton dockers as he passed through the port with the
Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
team.


Shamrock Rovers

In 1937 Dunne returned to
Shamrock Rovers Shamrock Rovers Football Club is an Irish professional Association football, football club based in Tallaght, South Dublin. The club's senior team competes in the League of Ireland Premier Division and it is List of football clubs by competit ...
as player-manager and was the inspiration behind Rovers winning
League of Ireland The League of Ireland is a national association football Sports league, league consisting of professional clubs in the Republic of Ireland and Derry, Derry City in Northern Ireland. It is governed by the Football Association of Ireland. It was ...
titles in 1938 and 1939. He won nine caps during this spell at Milltown. He also helped Rovers win the
FAI Cup The Football Association of Ireland Senior Challenge Cup (FAI Cup), known as the Sports Direct FAI Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a knock-out association football competition contested annually by teams from the Republic of Ireland (as well as D ...
in 1940. The reserves had won the Leinster Senior League Division 1 title that season and they were coached by Dunne whose first medal with Rovers was the Leinster Senior League Division 1. On 31 August 1942, Rovers played
Belfast Celtic Belfast Celtic Football Club was an Irish football club. Founded in 1891 in Belfast, it was one of the most successful teams in Ireland until it withdrew permanently from the Irish League in 1949. The club left the league for political reaso ...
in a testimonial for Dunne which ended in a 2–2 draw. Dunne went on to coach Bohemians between 1942 and 1947 before returning to Rovers once again.


International career

When Dunne began his international career in 1928 there were, in effect, two Ireland teams, chosen by two rival associations. Both associations, the Northern Ireland – based
IFA IFA or Ifa may refer to: Organisations Economics * Independent financial adviser, a type of financial services professional in the UK * Index Fund Advisors * Institute and Faculty of Actuaries, representing actuaries in the UK * Institute of Act ...
and the
Irish Free State The Irish Free State (6 December 192229 December 1937), also known by its Irish-language, Irish name ( , ), was a State (polity), state established in December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 1921. The treaty ended the three-ye ...
– based FAI claimed jurisdiction over the whole of Ireland and selected players from the whole island. As a result, several notable Irish players from this era, including Dunne, played for both teams.


IFA XI

Between
1928 Events January * January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly demonstrating that DNA is the genetic material. * January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris B ...
and 1932 Dunne made 7 appearances and scored 4 goals for the IFA XI. Dunne made his debut for the IFA XI on 2 February 1928 in a 2–1 defeat against
Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
. He won his second cap for the IFA XI on 20 October 1930 against
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
and scored in a 5–1 defeat. During 1931 he scored a further three goals for the IFA XI and as a result scored 4 goals in four consecutive appearances.


FAI XI

Between 1930 and 1939 Dunne also made 15 appearances and scored 13 goals for the FAI XI. He made his debut for the FAI XI on 11 May 1930 in an away game against
Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
. Dunne marked his debut with a brilliant all round performance, scoring twice in a 3–1 win. He also scored on his home debut for the FAI XI on 17 March 1936 in a 1–0 win against
Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
. In May 1936, during a European tour, he scored five goals for the FAI XI. On 3 May he scored twice in a 3–3 draw with
Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...
. On 3 May he also scored in a 4–1 defeat to a Rhineland XI and then on 9 May scored twice in a 5–1 win against
Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...
. On 10 October 1937, Dunne scored for the FAI XI in a
World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the name is ...
qualifier against
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
. Norway, who won the game 3–2, later complained that Dunne was ineligible, having played for the IFA XI, who were not members of
FIFA The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (), more commonly known by its acronym FIFA ( ), is the international self-regulatory governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal. It was founded on 21 May 1904 to o ...
. The complaint was subsequently withdrawn and on 7 November, Dunne scored in the return which finished as a 3–3 draw. He scored his last goal for the FAI XI in a 3–2 win over
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
on 13 November 1938 and made his final appearance against
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
on 23 May 1939.


Career statistics


Honours


Player

Shamrock Rovers *
League of Ireland The League of Ireland is a national association football Sports league, league consisting of professional clubs in the Republic of Ireland and Derry, Derry City in Northern Ireland. It is governed by the Football Association of Ireland. It was ...
: 1937–38, 1938–39 *
FAI Cup The Football Association of Ireland Senior Challenge Cup (FAI Cup), known as the Sports Direct FAI Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a knock-out association football competition contested annually by teams from the Republic of Ireland (as well as D ...
: 1940 * League of Ireland Shield: 1924–25, 1937–38, 1941–42 * Leinster Senior Cup: 1938 Arsenal * First Division: 1933–34


Coach

Bohemians * Dublin and Belfast Intercity Cup: 1945


Individual

* First Division Golden Boot:
1930 Events January * January 15 – The Moon moves into its nearest point to Earth, called perigee, at the same time as its fullest phase of the Lunar Cycle. This is the closest moon distance at in recent history, and the next one will be on J ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dunne, Jimmy 1905 births 1949 deaths People of the Irish Civil War (Anti-Treaty side) Republic of Ireland men's association footballers Association footballers from County Dublin Shamrock Rovers F.C. players Shamrock Rovers F.C. managers Arsenal F.C. players Dual Irish men's international footballers League of Ireland players League of Ireland managers New Brighton A.F.C. players Pre-1950 IFA men's international footballers Irish Free State men's association footballers Republic of Ireland association football managers Ireland (FAI) men's international footballers Irish Free State men's international footballers Sheffield United F.C. players Southampton F.C. players Bohemian F.C. managers League of Ireland XI players Men's association football forwards