Joe DePugh, the High School Baseball Hero Behind Springsteen’s “Glory Days,” Dies at 75
Joe DePugh, the man whose fastball and friendship inspired Bruce Springsteen’s nostalgic hit “Glory Days,” has died after a battle with cancer. He was 75.
Springsteen took to social media on March 30 to honor his old friend from Freehold, New Jersey. “Just a moment to mark the passing of Freehold native and ballplayer Joe DePugh,” he wrote. “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.”
The two grew up side by side in Freehold, playing in the same youth league. While Springsteen would go on to conquer stadiums around the world, DePugh was the hometown hero on the pitcher’s mound. Their paths crossed again in 1973 at a bar in Jersey, where they shared drinks and memories of high school days. That chance encounter became the opening scene of Springsteen’s 1985 classic:
“I had a friend was a big baseball player / Back in high school / He could throw that speedball by you / Make you look like a fool, boy.”
Released on the Born in the U.S.A. album, “Glory Days” hit No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and has since become an anthem for looking back with laughter, humility, and heart. And for DePugh, who stayed close to the Springsteen orbit without stepping into the spotlight, it was always just about friendship.
“Whenever we’re together, it’s the same dynamic: I’m the star and he’s the guy at the end of the bench,” DePugh joked in a 2011 interview with the Palm Beach Post. “That’s who he has always been to me—my right fielder.”
DePugh’s passing marks the end of a real-life story that shaped one of rock’s most enduring songs. But like all great legends, his glory days live on—etched into vinyl, memory, and that unmistakable Springsteen swagger.
Rest easy, Joe. The scoreboard may be off, but your name is forever in the game.
