Ben Dolson
2nd Lieutenant | United States Marine Corps | Utility Infielder | 1956 Melbourne Olympic Baseball Demonstration
Ben Dolson was a member of the United States Services Baseball Team that represented American military baseball during the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne, Australia. The team was assembled from U.S. servicemen stationed in the Far East Command and traveled to Australia for the Olympic baseball demonstration and related exhibition games.
Dolson is identified on team rosters as a 2nd Lieutenant from the United States Marine Corps and as a utility infielder. His role helped round out a roster that included players from the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps.
Role on the 1956 Team
The 1956 United States Services Baseball Team was drawn from American military players serving in the Far East. Contemporary roster material identifies Dolson as one of the Marine Corps representatives on the squad, alongside John Clement and Rudolph Martinez. His position is listed as utility infielder, meaning he could be used where needed across the infield.
Baseball at Melbourne was a demonstration event rather than a medal sport, but the trip remains historically important because it placed American service baseball on an international stage during the Olympic Games. The team played the Olympic demonstration game at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and also took part in additional exhibition contests during its Australian tour.
The Olympic Baseball Demonstration
On December 1, 1956, the United States team played Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The game became one of the notable baseball moments of the Olympic program because of its large crowd and the unusual setting of baseball inside one of Australia’s most famous sporting venues.
Dolson’s place on the roster connects him to a rare Olympic baseball chapter that came decades before baseball became an official Olympic medal sport. Like many of his teammates, his story is preserved through scattered roster references, team photographs, and family-held images rather than through a large public record.
Selected Photograph
The following image is currently available for Dolson’s page. Additional photographs, documents, or family memories can be added as they are discovered.
Timeline
Research Sources
This page was compiled from team roster material, Olympic baseball references, the 1956 U.S. versus Western Australia program, the team photograph archive, and the ongoing Lowe Chemical history project.
- Olympedia baseball results for 1956
- Collections WA: 1956 U.S.A. Olympic Baseball Team v. W.A. State Team program
- 1956 United States Services Baseball Team roster and team photograph material.
- Family and project research files connected to the Lowe Chemical 1956 Olympic baseball history project.