Sonny Dunlap

Sarah Frances Dunlap

• Bats unknown, Throws unknown
• Height 5' 1"
• School Crescent College
• High School Farmington (AR) High School

• Born September 27, 1913 in Farmington, AR USA
• Died January 9, 1990 in Tulsa, OK USA

Biographical Information

Sonny Dunlap was one of the first female players in the history of the minor leagues. She was principally a star basketball player for the Tulsa Stenos, an all-women team associated with Tulsa Business College that won three national championships. She played right field for the Fayetteville Bears of the Arkansas-Missouri League against the Cassville Blues on September 7, 1936. She played the entire game, and while she went 0 for 3, it was reported that she hit the ball hard as Fayetteville won the game, 5-1. She also reportedly played one game the following season for the Fayetteville Angels, on August 8th, against the Monett Red Birds. That latter appearance was publicized in advance, as she was very well known in the area and considered a gate attraction. Her participation in the two games does not seem to have raised any significant opposition. She did get a hit in two at-bats in that second game, when she played second base for five innings and also had some fielding chances, which she handled successfully - her glove had not been tested in her previous game.

Because she played in less than ten games both years and statistics for the Arkansas-Missouri League are incomplete, she does not have a Baseball-Reference page.

Her brothers Buster Dunlap and Harold "Snooks" Dunlap were semi-pro baseball and basketball players in Arkansas. Se was born and grew up on a farm near Farmington, AR. She settled down in Tulsa, OK after her sports career, but was buried in her Arkansas hometown after passing away in 1990 at age 76.

Related Sites

• Article at the Arkansas Baseball Encyclopedia