Rod Dedeaux ˨ the Architect of Usc Baseball R Rod
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RODRRODOD DEDEAUXDDEDEAUXEDEAUX ˨˨ THETTHEHE ARCHITECTAARCHITECTRCHITECT OOFOFF UUSCUSCSC BBASEBALLBASEBALLASEBALL On January 5, 2006, the USC baseball program suff ered the loss of Rod Dedeaux, one of the greatest college coaches ever, who passed away at the age of 91. Not only was Dedeaux the main architect for the success of the USC baseball program, but also one of the great ambassadors for college baseball and amateur baseball in international competition. In his 45-year tenure at USC (1942-86), Dedeaux led the Trojans to 11 national championships and 28 conference titles. He posted an overall record of 1,332-571-11 for a superb .699 winning percentage. At his retirement, he had won more games than any other college baseball coach (he currently ranks seventh among Division I coaches). His teams from 1970-74 won fi ve straight NCAA championships, a record that may never be broken. No other school has won more than two in a row. Two personal honors for Dedeaux, which are quite fi tting considering his accomplishments, came in 1999 when he was named “Coach of the Century” by both Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball. As part of the 50th anniversary of the College World Series in 1996, Dedeaux was named the head coach of the All-Time CWS team by a panel of former World Series coaches, media and college baseball offi cials. In 1999, he was presented with keys to the city of Omaha (home to the College World Series). Dedeaux was named Coach of the Year six times by the American Baseball Coaches Association and was inducted into the organization’s Hall of Fame in 1970. He received the ABCA’s Lefty Gomez Award in 1980 as “an individual that has distinguished himself amongst his peers and has contributed signifi cantly to the game of baseball locally, nationally, and internationally.” In 1989, he was awarded the U.S. Baseball Federation’s W.P. “Dutch” Fehring Award of Merit for outstanding service. Dedeaux helped develop 59 major leaguers, including such top stars as Tom Seaver, Mark McGwire, Randy Johnson, Fred Lynn, Dave Kingman, Roy Smalley, Don Buford, Ron Fairly, Rich Dauer, Steve Busby, Jim Barr and Steve Kemp. Rod spearheaded the development of amateur baseball nationally and internationally. He was instrumental in bringing baseball to the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles as a demonstration sport and coached the silver medal-winning U.S. team. He also coached the U.S. amateur team that played in Tokyo in conjunction with the 1964 Olympics. Dedeaux founded the USA-Japan Collegiate World Series in 1972. He served as Series Chairman from 1972-84 and later as Chairman Emeritus. Dedeaux also was honored in May of 1996 by the Japanese government with the Fourth Order of Merit — Cordon of the Rising Sun award. Hollywood enlisted Dedeaux’s expertise as well, inviting him to serve as a technical director and consultant for two highly successful movies: “Field of Dreams” and “A League of Their Own.” OOnn Feb.Feb. 14,14, 2004,2004, tthehe TTrojansrojans openedopened thethe regularregular seasonseason byby celebratingcelebrating RRodod DDedeaux'sedeaux's 990th0th bbirthdayirthday ((Rod'sRod's actualactual birthdaybirthday isis Feb.Feb. 17,17, 11914).914). TThehe llegendaryegendary play-by-playplay-by-play announcerannouncer ofof thethe LosLos AngelesAngeles DodgersDodgers VVinin SScullycully (center)(center) aandnd fformerormer ownerowner PeterPeter OO'Malley'Malley ((right)right) wwereere oonn hhand,and, aalonglong wwithith oonene ooff DDedeaux'sedeaux's cclosestlosest ffriends,riends, fformerormer DDodgersodgers mmanageranager TTommyommy LLasorda.asorda. OOverver 110000 fformerormer TTrojans,rojans, iincludingncluding TTomom SSeavereaver aandnd RRoyoy SSmalley,malley, attendedattended thethe festivities.festivities. Remarkably,Remarkably, USC'sUSC's fi rrstst nnationalational cchampionshiphampionship squadsquad fromfrom 19481948 waswas well-representedwell-represented aass 1155 mmembersembers ooff tthathat teamteam werewere iinn aattendance.ttendance. RODRRODOD DEDEAUXDDEDEAUXEDEAUX ˨˨ THETTHEHE ARCHITECTAARCHITECTRCHITECT OOFOFF UUSCUSCSC BBASEBALLBASEBALLASEBALL Dedeaux played baseball at USC and was a three-year letterman as the starting shortstop from 1933-35. He played briefl y in the Major Leagues with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1935. During the 1930s, Dedeaux started Dart Transportation, Inc., a company that eventually grew into a million-dollar trucking fi rm that specializes in world-wide distribution. Even until his passing, Dedeaux served as the company’s president and was a daily fi xture with the company. Born on Feb. 17, 1914, in New Orleans, Dedeaux moved to California as a youngster and was a baseball star at Hollywood (Calif.) High. “Tiger” will be sorely missed, but the legacy of Rod Dedeaux and his impact on others will always live on. The following excerpts are from a 1976 Jim Murray column in the Los Angeles Times: “... But the greatest farm club in the his to ry of the major leagues ... and the most con sis tent sup pli er of ma jor league talent the past 10 years is a fran chise main tained at no cost to base ball. It fi nds and signs its own pros pects, suits them up, develops them, re fi nes them, weeds them out — and then turns them over to the big leagues fully pol ished and ready for the World Series. “The University of Southern California base ball team is to the majors what the Mesabi range is to steel or the forest is to Weyerhauser — a seem ing ly limitless sup ply of basic ore or tim ber. “... Rod Dedeaux went to bat only four times in the big leagues. Nev er the less he prob a bly should go to the Hall of Fame as a man who has done as much for the great game in his own way as Babe Ruth.” 1948 NATIONAL CHAMPIONS USC’s fi rst national championship came Roster in 1948 with co-head coaches Sam Barry and Rod Dedeaux leading the Trojans. At the Dick Bishop, rhp second-ever College World Series in Kalamazoo, Jim Brideweser, ss Mich., USC battled Yale in a best-of-three Mike Catron, if con fron ta tion for the title. Troy won the fi rst Henry Cedillos, 1b game, 3-1, ending the game with a spectacular Dick Fiedler, rhp triple play in the ninth. Chuck Freeman, of The next day Yale sent its ace right-hander, Harry Gorman, c Art Quinn, to the mound for game two. He James Hardy, if Record: 26-4, 13-2 posted an 8-3 victory over the Trojans to force Dave Haserot, 1b M5 Pepperdine W 11-0 M15 * Stanford W 13-6 a de ci sive game three. George Hefner, if M20 * UCLA W 13-0 M18 * UCLA (13) W 4-3 In the fi nal game, the hero for the Trojans Gail Henley, of M23 Loyola W 14-4 M21 * at St. Mary’s W 13-7 was second baseman Art Mazmanian, who Wally Hood, rhp M27 Loyola W 15-7 M22 * at California W 4-2 went 3-for-3 with a sacrifi ce and scored a run in Maynard Horst, rhp A9 at Santa Barbara College W 6-5 M28 ^ Washington State W 7-5 the fi rst inning, which gave USC a lead it never Gordon Jones, of A10 at Santa Barbara College L 6-7 M31 ^ Washington State W 6-3 re lin quished on the way to a 9-2 cham pi on ship Tom Kipp, lhp A13 at San Diego State W 10-7 J16 # Baylor W 8-0 victory. Dick Bishop scattered 10 hits to go the Bill Lillie, 3b A16 * Santa Clara L 4-5 J17 # Oklahoma State W 7-1 distance and get the victory while adding two Art Mazmanian, 2b A17 * Santa Clara W 7-6 J19 # Baylor W 16-3 hits of his own. Third baseman Bill Lillie had Bruce McKelvey, c A23 * at Santa Clara W 9-2 J25 + Yale W 3-1 two RBI on two hits, and center fi elder Gordon Don Pender, lhp A24 * at Stanford (10) W 12-10 J26 + Yale L 3-8 Jones added two RBI. For Yale, fi rst baseman and Charles Pryor, of A27 * at UCLA L 0-2 J26 + Yale W 9-2 future President George Bush had a double in Jay Roundy, of A30 * California W 15-11 four at-bats in the fi nal game. Paul Salata, if M1 * California W 8-2 * CIBA game The Trojans clinched the CIBA by a four- Bob Williams, lhp M4 San Francisco W 12-3 ^ PCC Playoff s at Pullman, Wash. game margin, going 13-2 to win their third Al Wilson, of M7 * St. Mary’s W 5-4 # NCAA Western Playoff s at Denver, Colo. straight title. USC then advanced to the PCC Henry Workman, of M8 * St. Mary’s W 10-1 + College World Series at Wichita, Kan. Playoff s, where it swept Washington State Bob Zuber, c M14 * Stanford W 3-1 in two games, 7-5 and 6-3. In the fi nale, USC clinched the title on a three-hitter by lefthander Tom Kipp, who had a no-hitter through seven innings. did you know? After a three-game sweep at the NCAA Western Playoff s, which saw two wins over Baylor and one over Oklahoma A&M (now Th e 1948 team had a famous batboy (the young boy wearing the Oklahoma State), USC advanced to its fi rst white t-shirt in the front of the team picture). Th e batboy was none College World Series. other than the late great George "Sparky" Anderson, the Hall of Fame manager who won three World Series with the Cincinnati Reds and Detroit Tigers. 1958 NATIONAL CHAMPIONS The next USC title came 10 years later Roster when Troy went 5-1 at the 1958 CWS, losing only to Holy Cross in the opening game, 3-0.