Eleanor Dapkus
Encyclopedia
Eleanor Dapkus [Wolf] was a center fielder
and pitcher
who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
. Listed at 5' 6", 160 lb., she batted and threw right-handed.
founded the All-American Girls League. Wrigley, a chewing gum
manufacturer and owner of the Chicago Cubs
Major League Baseball
club, materialized his idea as a promotional sideline to maintain interest in baseball as the World War II
military draft was depleting Major League rosters of first-line players. Ann Harnett
became the first girl to sign with the All-American, being followed by Claire Schillace
, Edythe Perlick
and Shirley Jameson
.
and swimming
. Baseball
came naturally, but most of the time she played softball
, mostly in the streets or in the prairies. She attended Christian Fenger Academy High School in Chicago and played every sport available to girls, but they were all of the playground variety, not varsity competition. Over the years, she earned twenty five medals in several sports, including softball, volleyball
, basketball
and soccer.
was set for May 17, 1943, at Wrigley Field
in Chicago. Since the only organized ball for women in the country was softball, the league created a hybrid game which included both softball and baseball.Wrigley had scouts
all over the United States
, Canada
and even Cuba
signing girls for tryouts. About 500 girls attended the call. Of these, only 280 were invited to the final try-outs in Chicago where 60 were chosen to become the first women to ever play professional baseball. The league started with four teams, and each team was made up of fifteen girls. Dapkus survived the final cut and was assigned to the Racine Belles
team, where she played for eight seasons.
Dapkus earned the nickname Slugger for her power hitting abilities, helping Racine to clinch the league championship in both 1943 and 1946. She was chosen as the fourth outfielder for the 1943 All-Star team
after leading the league with 10 home run
s. The 1943 All-Star Game was the first night game played at Wrigley Field
(July 1, 1943).
In 1944, Dapkus paced the circuit with 10 doubles
. For the 1946 team, she hit .253 and drove in
57 runs while tying for the league lead with nine triples
. In 1948 the Belles decided to move her to the pitching mound, and she responded with a 24-9 mark as an overhand pitcher.
But at the end of 1950 the Belles lacked the financial resources to keep the club playing in Racine, Wisconsin
. Before the 1951 season, when the team moved to Battle Creek, Michigan
, Dapkus, along with original Belles Maddy English
, Edythe Perlick
and Joanne Winter
, were disappointment and decided not to make the move. During eight years, the Belles were a close-knit team, always like a family away from home. Dapkus and teammates thought that all would be different, like a new team, maybe a new manager and, specially, a new location.
Overall, Dapkus hit .229 with 30 home runs and 317 runs batted in in 775 games, and posted a 53-34 record with 397 strikeout
s and a 1.97 earned run average
in 102 pitching appearances
. She is seventh lifetime in home runs and ranks eleventh in runs batted in.
except for during World War II
when she spraypainted airplane parts at the Pullman Aircraft
factory. Following her playing retirement, she went back to Chicago. She married in 1950, changed her name to Eleanor Dapkus Wolf and had two sons, Frank and Richard.
The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League folded in 1954, but there is now a permanent display at the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum at Cooperstown, New York
since November 5, that honors those who were part of this unique experience. But like many of her AAGPBL colleagues, Dapkus was relatively unknown until the 1992 film A League of Their Own
by filmmaker Penny Marshall
was exhibited for the first time.
Slugger Eleanor was a longtime resident of St. John, Indiana
, where she died at the age of 87, following complications from breast cancer
.
Center fielder
A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the baseball fielding position between left field and right field...
and pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League was a women's professional baseball league founded by Philip K. Wrigley which existed from 1943 to 1954. During the league's history, over 600 women played ball.-History:...
. Listed at 5' 6", 160 lb., she batted and threw right-handed.
Women in baseball
In February 1943, Philip K. WrigleyPhilip K. Wrigley
Philip Knight Wrigley , sometimes also called P.K. or Phil. Born in Chicago, he was an American chewing gum manufacturer and executive in Major League Baseball, inheriting both those roles as the quiet son of his much more flamboyant father, William Wrigley Jr. After his father died in 1932, Philip...
founded the All-American Girls League. Wrigley, a chewing gum
Chewing gum
Chewing gum is a type of gum traditionally made of chicle, a natural latex product, or synthetic rubber known as polyisobutylene. For economical and quality reasons, many modern chewing gums use rubber instead of chicle...
manufacturer and owner of the Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
club, materialized his idea as a promotional sideline to maintain interest in baseball as the World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
military draft was depleting Major League rosters of first-line players. Ann Harnett
Ann Harnett
Ann Harnett is a former female utility who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 6", 139 lb., Harnett batted and threw right-handed...
became the first girl to sign with the All-American, being followed by Claire Schillace
Claire Schillace
Claire Joan Schillace was a center fielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League...
, Edythe Perlick
Edythe Perlick
Edythe Perlick [Edie] was a left fielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 3", 128 lb., she batted and threw right-handed.-Overview profile:...
and Shirley Jameson
Shirley Jameson
Shirley Jameson was a center fielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 4' 10¾" , 104 lb. , Jameson batted right-handed and threw left-handed...
.
Early life
Dapkus was born to a Lithuanian family and was raised in Chicago, Illinois. She was the tenth child in her family and the first girl after nine boys. Athletically inclined. she started playing sports with her brothers at a very young age. The only sports she did not participate in were tennisTennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
and swimming
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
. Baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
came naturally, but most of the time she played softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
, mostly in the streets or in the prairies. She attended Christian Fenger Academy High School in Chicago and played every sport available to girls, but they were all of the playground variety, not varsity competition. Over the years, she earned twenty five medals in several sports, including softball, volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
and soccer.
AAGPBL career
The first AAGPBL spring trainingSpring training
In Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives existing team players practice time prior to competitive play...
was set for May 17, 1943, at Wrigley Field
Wrigley Field
Wrigley Field is a baseball stadium in Chicago, Illinois, United States that has served as the home ballpark of the Chicago Cubs since 1916. It was built in 1914 as Weeghman Park for the Chicago Federal League baseball team, the Chicago Whales...
in Chicago. Since the only organized ball for women in the country was softball, the league created a hybrid game which included both softball and baseball.Wrigley had scouts
Scout (sport)
In professional sports, scouts are trained talent evaluators who travel extensively for the purposes of watching athletes play their chosen sports and determining whether their set of skills and talents represent what is needed by the scout's organization...
all over the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and even Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
signing girls for tryouts. About 500 girls attended the call. Of these, only 280 were invited to the final try-outs in Chicago where 60 were chosen to become the first women to ever play professional baseball. The league started with four teams, and each team was made up of fifteen girls. Dapkus survived the final cut and was assigned to the Racine Belles
Racine Belles
The Racine Belles were one of the original teams of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League playing from through out of Racine, Wisconsin. The team played its home games at Horlick Field.-History:...
team, where she played for eight seasons.
Dapkus earned the nickname Slugger for her power hitting abilities, helping Racine to clinch the league championship in both 1943 and 1946. She was chosen as the fourth outfielder for the 1943 All-Star team
All-American Girls Professional Baseball League All-Star Team
The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League was a women's professional baseball circuit which existed for twelve seasons from through ....
after leading the league with 10 home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s. The 1943 All-Star Game was the first night game played at Wrigley Field
Wrigley Field
Wrigley Field is a baseball stadium in Chicago, Illinois, United States that has served as the home ballpark of the Chicago Cubs since 1916. It was built in 1914 as Weeghman Park for the Chicago Federal League baseball team, the Chicago Whales...
(July 1, 1943).
In 1944, Dapkus paced the circuit with 10 doubles
Double (baseball)
In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
. For the 1946 team, she hit .253 and drove in
Run batted in
Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...
57 runs while tying for the league lead with nine triples
Triple (baseball)
In baseball, a triple is the act of a batter safely reaching third base after hitting the ball, with neither the benefit of a fielder's misplay nor another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
. In 1948 the Belles decided to move her to the pitching mound, and she responded with a 24-9 mark as an overhand pitcher.
But at the end of 1950 the Belles lacked the financial resources to keep the club playing in Racine, Wisconsin
Racine, Wisconsin
Racine is a city in and the county seat of Racine County, Wisconsin, United States. According to 2008 U.S. Census Bureau estimates, the city had a population of 82,196...
. Before the 1951 season, when the team moved to Battle Creek, Michigan
Battle Creek, Michigan
Battle Creek is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan, in northwest Calhoun County, at the confluence of the Kalamazoo and Battle Creek Rivers. It is the principal city of the Battle Creek, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area , which encompasses all of Calhoun county...
, Dapkus, along with original Belles Maddy English
Maddy English
Madeline Catherine English [Maddy] was a third basewoman who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 4", 130 lb., English batted and threw right-handed...
, Edythe Perlick
Edythe Perlick
Edythe Perlick [Edie] was a left fielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 3", 128 lb., she batted and threw right-handed.-Overview profile:...
and Joanne Winter
Joanne Winter
Joanne Emily Winter [Jo] was a pitcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 8", 138 lb., she batted and threw right-handed.-Overview profile:...
, were disappointment and decided not to make the move. During eight years, the Belles were a close-knit team, always like a family away from home. Dapkus and teammates thought that all would be different, like a new team, maybe a new manager and, specially, a new location.
Overall, Dapkus hit .229 with 30 home runs and 317 runs batted in in 775 games, and posted a 53-34 record with 397 strikeout
Strikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters....
s and a 1.97 earned run average
Earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...
in 102 pitching appearances
Games pitched
In baseball statistics, games pitched is the number of games in which a player appears as a pitcher; a player who is announced as the pitcher must face at least one batter, although exceptions are made if the pitcher announced in the starting lineup is injured before facing a batter, perhaps while...
. She is seventh lifetime in home runs and ranks eleventh in runs batted in.
Life after baseball
Both before and after she joined the AAGPBL, Dapkus worked in a variety of jobs. Most of her early work was clericalClerk
Clerk, the vocational title, commonly refers to a white-collar worker who conducts general office or, in some instances, sales tasks. It is also occasionally used to refer to third-year medical students completing a medical clerkship. The responsibilities of clerical workers commonly include record...
except for during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
when she spraypainted airplane parts at the Pullman Aircraft
Bristol Pullman
|-See also:...
factory. Following her playing retirement, she went back to Chicago. She married in 1950, changed her name to Eleanor Dapkus Wolf and had two sons, Frank and Richard.
The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League folded in 1954, but there is now a permanent display at the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum at Cooperstown, New York
Cooperstown, New York
Cooperstown is a village in Otsego County, New York, USA. It is located in the Town of Otsego. The population was estimated to be 1,852 at the 2010 census.The Village of Cooperstown is the county seat of Otsego County, New York...
since November 5, that honors those who were part of this unique experience. But like many of her AAGPBL colleagues, Dapkus was relatively unknown until the 1992 film A League of Their Own
A League of Their Own
A League of Their Own is a 1992 American comedy-drama film that tells a fictionalized account of the real-life All-American Girls Professional Baseball League . Directed by Penny Marshall, the film stars Geena Davis, Lori Petty, Tom Hanks, Madonna, and Rosie O'Donnell...
by filmmaker Penny Marshall
Penny Marshall
Penny Marshall is an American actress, producer and director.After playing several small roles for television, she was cast as Laverne DeFazio in the sitcom Laverne and Shirley...
was exhibited for the first time.
Slugger Eleanor was a longtime resident of St. John, Indiana
St. John, Indiana
-Demographics:As of the census of 2010, there were 14,850 people and 5,047 households in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 93.50% White, 1.30% African American, 0.10% Native American, 1.30% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 2.40% from other races, and 1.20% from two or more races...
, where she died at the age of 87, following complications from breast cancer
Breast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...
.
Sources
- A League Of My Own: Memoir of a Pitcher for the All-American Girls – Patricia I. Brown. Publisher: Macfarland & Company, 2003. Format: Paperback, 216pp. Language: English. ISBN 9780786414741
- Encyclopedia of Women and Baseball – Leslie A. Heaphy, Mel Anthony May. Publisher: McFarland & Company, 2006. Format: Paperback, 438pp. Language: English. ISBN 0786421002
- Women of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League: A Biographical Dictionary - W. C. Madden. Publisher: McFarland & Company, 2005. Format: Paperback, 295 pp. Language: English. ISBN 0786437472
- All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Website
- The Diamond Angle - An interview by Lou Parrotta
- The Sports Page – Star Collector
- Legacy.com – Obituary