When Jim Dudley Came To Bat | Black History Month

Jim Dudley was one of the best ball players Chatham-Kent has seen.

As a teenager, Dudley, who also went by James, and J.C., played baseball in Dresden.

He also suited up for the Green Valley men’s softball team, an all-Black squad composed of players from Dover and Chatham Township.

Most prominently however, Dudley and his home run hitting prowess helped the village of Tupperville win the 1964 Ontario Baseball Association championship.

He faced taunting during the run, but always responded in the same way…by hitting another homer.

James Charles Dudley was a feared opponent at the plate in the 1960s, and should be remembered as an important athlete in Chatham-Kent’s Black history.