Dot Wilkinson

Dorothy Elsie Wilkinson (October 9, 1921 – March 18, 2023) was an American softball player and bowler, who is a member of the halls of fame in both sports.[1][2]

Dot Wilkinson
Personal information
Birth nameDorothy Elsie Wilkinson
Born(1921-10-09)October 9, 1921
South Phoenix, Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.
DiedMarch 18, 2023(2023-03-18) (aged 101)
Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.
Sport
SportSoftball, ten-pin bowling

Life and career

Wilkinson played softball from 1933 to 1965, helping her team, the Phoenix Ramblers, to the national title in 1940,[3][4] 1948,[4][5] and 1949.[3][4] She was an All-American nineteen seasons as an amateur softball player.[6] Among her feats, she batted an average of .455 in 1954, .450 in 1955, and .387 on the Ramblers championship runner up year of 1957.[3][4]

As a professional bowler, she won the Women's International Bowling Queen's Tournament (a bowling triple crown event) in 1962, and the WIBC singles in 1963.[7]

Wilkinson was inducted into the National Softball Hall of Fame and Museum in 1970, her first year of eligibility.[1] She was inducted into the International Bowling Hall of Fame twenty years later, in 1990.[2][8]

Wilkinson occasionally attended high school, college and tournament softball games in Arizona, where she and some of her former teammates were honored frequently. The Arizona Republic newspaper chose her at number eight among Arizona's all-time greatest athletes in 1999.[9]

As of April 2020, Wilkinson was the oldest living member of the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame.[10] She turned 100 in October 2021,[11] and died in Phoenix on March 18, 2023, at the age of 101.[12][13]

Honours
Association Year results
National Softball Hall of Fame and Museum 1970 Honoured
International Bowling Hall of Fame 1990 Honoured
Arizona Sports Hall of Fame 1975 Honoured

References
  1. "Dot Wilkinson Bio". American Softball Association. Archived from the original on July 7, 2014. Retrieved September 4, 2014.
  2. "Welcome to the International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame: Women's International Bowling Congress Hall of Fame, Superior Performance". Archived from the original on February 6, 2009. Retrieved 2009-10-02.
  3. "Brakettes- National Tournaments". Archived from the original on 2008-08-20. Retrieved 2009-10-02.
  4. "Fast Pitch Softball History". Retrieved 2009-10-02.
  5. "Phoenix Ramblers Softball Champions". Ellensburg Daily Record. September 21, 1948. Retrieved 2009-10-02.
  6. "Dot Wilkinson A female Yogi Berra". Sports Illustrated. October 17, 1960. Retrieved 2009-09-26.
  7. Tyers, Tim (July 3, 2007). "What's up with . . . Dottie Wilkinson". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 2009-10-02.
  8. "International Bowling Museum Hall of Fame" (PDF). Spring 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 10, 2007. Retrieved 2009-09-26.
  9. Metcalfe, Jeff (December 18, 1999). "Whatever it took to win: Dot Wilkinson not a good loser". The Arizona Republic. p. C 1. Retrieved 2009-10-02.
  10. 98-year-old softball Hall of Famer Dot Wilkinson staying safe during pandemic
  11. "Oldest living Arizona Sports Hall of Famer Dot Wilkinson turns 100". AZ Central. 10 October 2021.
  12. McLeod, Justin (20 March 2023). "Softball Legend Dot Wilkinson Passes Away". Extra Inning Softball. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
  13. Sainty, Lane (20 March 2023). "Arizona sporting legend and 'softball royalty' Dot Wilkinson dies at 101". AZ Central. Retrieved 21 March 2023.

Further reading
  • Ames, Lynn Out at the Plate: The Dot Wilkinson Story (Chicago Review Press, 2023)
  • Purcell, Laura A. The Queens and the Ramblers: Women's Championship Softball in Phoenix, 1932–1965 (Arizona State University: Dissertation)
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