Joe DePugh, a Freehold Boro native and a name forever tied to Bruce Springsteen’s 1994 hit “Glory Days,” passed away on March 29, 2025, after a brave battle with cancer.
He left behind his wife and their children and a legacy that spanned from the baseball fields of New Jersey to the airwaves of rock ’n’ roll.
For those who knew him and the fans who learned his story through Springsteen’s lyrics.
"I had a friend was a big baseball player
— Jim Koenigsberger (@Jimfrombaseball) March 23, 2024
Back in high school
He could throw that speedball by ya
Make you look like a fool"
Springsteen
Joe DePugh, was a star Little League pitcher & teammate of Springsteen’s in the Babe Ruth League. pic.twitter.com/JNoamjq2At
Joe was more than just a character in a song. He was a friend, a family man, and a guy who lived life with his heart.
Joe grew up in Freehold, New Jersey, alongside two younger brothers.
His early years were spent at St. Rose of Lima elementary school, where he first met a young Bruce Springsteen.
The two became fast friends, even though their paths would later separate. Joe, a natural athlete, nicknamed Bruce “Saddie” back then mainly because Springsteen’s baseball skills were, in Joe’s words, “pathetic.”
It was a playful jab between buddies stuck in their memories as life pulled them in different directions.
By high school, Joe was shining as a right-handed pitcher for Freehold Regional High School.
Joe’s world was sports, Bruce’s was music. But their shared history would come full circle years later.
Joe Gained Recognition Playing Baseball For The Local Team, The Monarchs
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Joe took his talents to the baseball diamond with the Monarchs, a local team where he made a name for himself.
After high school, he headed to Kings College in Scranton, Pennsylvania, in 1972.
Summers back home were filled with games in the Jersey Shore Basketball League, where he kept his competitive spirit alive.
After college, Joe settled into a quieter life. He worked as a substitute teacher and later as a contractor, building a home with his then-girlfriend, now his wife, and their kids.
They were a team, raising their family while Joe picked up side gigs, like playing in a basketball league sponsored by a local bar.
It was a simple, hardworking life, but one filled with love.
One summer night in 1973 changed everything.
Joe had just finished a basketball game and headed to a bar in Neptune, New Jersey, with his wife and kids for dinner.
The bar sponsored the opposing team, and after the meal, his wife took the kids home while Joe stayed to hang out with the players. “I’ll be home soon,” he told her as he remained by the door.
That’s when fate stepped in. As Joe was leaving, Bruce Springsteen walked in.
The old friends locked eyes, started talking, and didn’t stop until the bar’s lights flickered on the last call.
Hours had slipped by, and the “Glory Days” seeds were planted in that chance reunion.
Fast forward to 1985. Joe and his wife were on a trip with friends in Stowe, Vermont, when someone mentioned Springsteen’s new song about Joe.
A friend called a Montpelier radio station to request it. When the opening chords of “Glory Days” filled the air, Joe’s wife burst into tears.
The song painted a picture of a baseball player stuck in the past, reliving his prime.
It wasn’t all flattering, but Joe didn’t mind. To him, it was a nod to their shared history, a piece of his life memorialized by his old pal.
Joe Spent His Later Years As A Contractor, Pouring Energy Into His Work And Family
He and his wife built a life together, raising their kids and holding tight to the memories of Freehold.
When cancer came, Joe fought it with the same spirit he’d shown on the pitcher’s mound. But on March 29, 2025, he took his final bow.
The news hit hard. Friends took to social media to share their grief.
One wrote,
“Joe DePugh, a dear friend and Freehold Boro native and a good guy, recently passed away. He will always be remembered as a kind, caring, wonderful person.”
Via Facebook
Another said,
Bruce Springsteen paid tribute:
For Joe’s wife, the loss is deeply personal: a husband, a father, a partner gone too soon.
For Springsteen fans, he’s the guy from “Glory Days,” a symbol of youth and memories.
But for those who knew him, Joe DePugh was just Joe. He was a Freehold kid who threw a mean pitch, loved his family, and lived a life worth singing about.
Joe’s wife and kids carry that love forward, even as the world mourns a man who made his mark on the field and in our hearts.
May his soul rest in peace.
