Joe DePugh, a Freehold native who inspired Bruce Springsteen’s hit song “Glory Days,” passed away on Friday in West Palm Beach, Florida, at the age of 75. The cause of death was metastatic prostate cancer, according to his brother Paul. In the early 1960s, DePugh played baseball with Springsteen in Freehold, New Jersey.
DePugh, the team’s star pitcher, gave Springsteen the nickname “Saddie” due to his clumsy athletic abilities. Despite a memorable game where Springsteen dropped an easy fly ball, leading to a loss, the two remained friends through high school. After graduation, Springsteen pursued a career in rock ‘n’ roll, while DePugh tried out for the Los Angeles Dodgers and played basketball at King’s College in Pennsylvania.
In 1973, the two friends unexpectedly met at the Headliner, a roadside bar in Neptune, near the Jersey Shore.
Baseball memories with Springsteen
DePugh’s impact on Springsteen was immortalized in the song “Glory Days,” a bittersweet anthem reflecting on their youthful days in Freehold.
Springsteen recently paid tribute to DePugh, posting on March 30, “Just a moment to mark the passing of Freehold native and ballplayer Joe DePugh. He was a good friend when I needed one. ‘He could throw that speedball by you, make you look like a fool’….
Glory Days, my friend.”
DePugh worked as a self-employed contractor and often returned to Freehold, where he met Springsteen in 1973. The two had a memorable night at the Headliner bar, which later became the setting for the song “Glory Days.”
“When I first heard the song, I thought it said ‘and all we kept talking about was glory days,'” DePugh recalled to the Palm Beach Post. “Years later, I saw the lyrics and realized it was ‘all he kept talking about was glory days.’ I was tickled pink to even be mentioned in the song.
It’s about living in the past and letting go, especially for jocks.”
DePugh is survived by his family and friends, who remember his remarkable athletic abilities and the lasting impression he left on a rock ‘n’ roll legend.
