Black River High School Alumni
Sullivan, Ohio (OH)
In Memory of
Dorothy (mcalpin) "mickey Maguire" Chapman
1918-1981
Born Nov 21, 1918, Dorothy (mcalpin) "mickey Maguire" Chapman attended Black River High School in Sullivan, OH.
Class of 1970
Nov 21, 1918 - Aug 02, 1981
Nov 21, 1918 - Aug 02, 1981
Born Dorothy Maime McAlpin on November 21, 1918 in LaGrange Ohio.
One of the original members of the "All American Girls Professional Baseball League"(AAGPBL).
Dorothy learned to play baseball by playing with the neighborhood boys. In 1934-1936, when she was only 16, a tool shop in Elyria Ohio made special arrangements to work around child labor rules so that she could play with them. She went on to play for the "Erin Brew" which was a fast pitch team in Cleveland Ohio. The Erin Brew were the perennial champions and it was there that Dorothy was scouted and invited to the 1943 try outs for the AAGPBL. Of the hundreds of young women from across the nation who went to the try outs... only 280 were invited to the final tryouts and only 60 of those were invited to become the first women to play professional baseball.
Dorothy's position was catcher and in 1943 she played for the "Racine (WI) Belles" who at the end of the season became the first World Champions of the All American Girls Professional Baseball League.
In 1941, Dorothy married Tom Maguire. In June of 1944 she received a call just before a game from her Mother. Tom had been killed in action. Dorothy kept the news her Mother had given her to herself and played the game. It wasn't until after the game that Dorothy reported the news to the press. Then in August, she received a couple of letters from Tom. He had been in a hospital in Italy and had not been identified and was presumed dead. This event was included in the movie "A League of Their Own" and portrayed by Geena Davis.
Dorothy and Tom divorced in 1947 and in 1949 she married George Chapman.
Dorothy got her nickname in 1945 while playing with the Grand Rapids Chicks. She was said to have the tenacity of Mickey Cochrane, catcher for the Detroit Tigers. Hence the name... Dorothy "Mickey" Maguire Chapman. She was also reported to be the highest paid catcher in the league.
Dorothy played in the AAGPBL until June 15, 1949 when she retired.
After retiring, she raised 6 children. She also trained horses as a hobby.
Dorothy passed from this earth on August 2, 1981.
In 2006 a bronze statue honoring the members of the All American Girls Professional Baseball League was unveiled at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. The Statue named "At Bat" was made by Stanley Bleifeld from a picture of Dorothy "Mickey" Maguire Chapman.
One of the original members of the "All American Girls Professional Baseball League"(AAGPBL).
Dorothy learned to play baseball by playing with the neighborhood boys. In 1934-1936, when she was only 16, a tool shop in Elyria Ohio made special arrangements to work around child labor rules so that she could play with them. She went on to play for the "Erin Brew" which was a fast pitch team in Cleveland Ohio. The Erin Brew were the perennial champions and it was there that Dorothy was scouted and invited to the 1943 try outs for the AAGPBL. Of the hundreds of young women from across the nation who went to the try outs... only 280 were invited to the final tryouts and only 60 of those were invited to become the first women to play professional baseball.
Dorothy's position was catcher and in 1943 she played for the "Racine (WI) Belles" who at the end of the season became the first World Champions of the All American Girls Professional Baseball League.
In 1941, Dorothy married Tom Maguire. In June of 1944 she received a call just before a game from her Mother. Tom had been killed in action. Dorothy kept the news her Mother had given her to herself and played the game. It wasn't until after the game that Dorothy reported the news to the press. Then in August, she received a couple of letters from Tom. He had been in a hospital in Italy and had not been identified and was presumed dead. This event was included in the movie "A League of Their Own" and portrayed by Geena Davis.
Dorothy and Tom divorced in 1947 and in 1949 she married George Chapman.
Dorothy got her nickname in 1945 while playing with the Grand Rapids Chicks. She was said to have the tenacity of Mickey Cochrane, catcher for the Detroit Tigers. Hence the name... Dorothy "Mickey" Maguire Chapman. She was also reported to be the highest paid catcher in the league.
Dorothy played in the AAGPBL until June 15, 1949 when she retired.
After retiring, she raised 6 children. She also trained horses as a hobby.
Dorothy passed from this earth on August 2, 1981.
In 2006 a bronze statue honoring the members of the All American Girls Professional Baseball League was unveiled at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. The Statue named "At Bat" was made by Stanley Bleifeld from a picture of Dorothy "Mickey" Maguire Chapman.
Dorothy McAlpin Maguire Chapman was born in LaGrange and lived her entire life in Ohio from 1918 until her death in Spencer in 1981. She bore six children (George, Richard, Terry, Lawrence, Deborah and Robert, all graduates of Black River High School) from 1950 to 1959 with husband George, but became a single mother in 1963. She moved to Spencer Township in 1964. She had married Tom Maguire in 1941. As a result of that marriage her name was Dorothy Maguire. The importance of that event will be more evident as you read. Her life was full of energy, excitement, and risks unfamiliar to many women during her years. She worked in cabbage fields during the depression, drove taxis cabs, raised horses throughout her life, worked in factories, and was recruited from Erin Brew Softball Team in Cleveland to be one of the original baseball players in the All American Girls Professional Baseball League. She played seven seasons from 1943 to 1949 with Racine, Milwaukee, Grand Rapids, and Muskegon and was on three championship teams. In 1947, she traveled with the league to Havana for spring training and was also on a special winter tour in 1948. In the off-season during WWII, she drove taxis cabs in Cleveland. She played with the tenacity of Mickey Cochrane (Detroit Tiger catcher) thus earning the nickname "Mickey Maguire". You can read a popular children's book written about her, "Mickey and Me" by Dan Gutman that was published in 2003. The statue for "Women in Baseball" at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown was dedicated on Mother's Day, 2006 and is modeled from one of her famous photos during a game in 1948. In the 1960's she was well known for her championships in the Central Ohio Saddle Club Association with one of the best Morgan horses, Chico's Flame. Her life ended much too soon, thus missing the important recognition of the AAGPBL with the movie, "A League of Their Own", many reunions, and associated articles. The scene in the movie where the husband was killed in action was based on an actual event where her husband, Tom Maguire, was reported killed in action. She continued to play ball, but he was later found alive a couple of months later. They divorced in 1947. Her life events were many, and she had a great impact on many lives. Dorothy Chapman's extended family is large and scattered throughout the country, and we all greatly appreciate her induction into the Ohio Women's Hall of Fame.