Baseball Hall of Fame

Mike Dunne, a former Limestone High School and Bradley University standout athlete, secured his induction as an Olympian and Major League Baseball pitcher.

A fine pitcher for Dewey Kalmer's Bradley Braves during his first two seasons, Mike became a hot big-league prospect in 1984 when he went 8-2 for BU, giving up just 62 hits in 85 innings, fanning 77 hitters and posting a 2.44 earned run average.

In his three-year BU career, Mike was 13-8 and whiffed 117 hitters in 167 innings. "He always pitched against the better teams," said Kalmer. "I've only had three pitchers who walked in and pitched the big games for me. Mike was one of those. He became a great pitcher when he learned to throw the slider."

Chosen for the U.S. Olympic team in the summer following his junior year, he pitched against Italy in a winning game. The U.S. eventually took the silver medal, dropping the gold-medal game to Japan.

Signing with the St. Louis Cardinals, Mike was traded to Pittsburgh along with outfielder Andy Van Slyke and catcher Mike LaValliere for catcher Tony Pena on April 1, 1987. He was called up by the Pirates in June and went right into the starting rotation. He finished his first MLB season with the Pirates, going 13-6 with a 3.03 ERA and giving just 143 hits in 164 innings, earning National League Rookie Pitcher of the Year honors.

Injuries hampered much of the rest of his career and he was dealt to Seattle and later pitched for both the San Diego Padres and the Chicago White Sox. His last big league game was in 1992 for the White Sox.

Mike’s big-league career covered five years and he finished with a 25-30 record and a 4.08 ERA. He pitched in 85 games, 76 of them as a starter, gave up 471 hits in 474 innings, fanned 205 and walked 225.