RODROD DEDEAUXDEDEAUX -- THETHE ARCHITECTARCHITECT OFOF USCUSC BASEBALLBASEBALL On January 5, 2006, the USC baseball program suffered 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 10th among Division I coaches). His teams from 1970-74 won five 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 fitting 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 officials. 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 significantly 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.” Dedeaux played baseball at USC and was a three-year letterman On Feb. 14, 2004, the Trojans opened the regular season by celebrating Rod Dedeaux's 90th birthday (Rod's actual birthday is Feb. 17, 1914). The legendary play-by-play announcer of the Los Angeles Dodgers Vin Scully (center) and former owner Peter O'Malley (right) were on hand, along with one of Dedeaux's closest friends, former Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda. Over 100 former Trojans, including Tom Seaver and Roy Smalley, attended the festivities. Remarkably, USC's first national championship squad from 1948 was well-represented as 15 members of that team were in attendance. RODROD DEDEAUXDEDEAUX -- THETHE ARCHITECTARCHITECT OFOF USCUSC BASEBALLBASEBALL as the starting shortstop from 1933-35. He played briefly 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 firm that specializes in world-wide distribution. Even until his passing, Dedeaux served as the company’s president and was a daily fixture 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 history of the major leagues ... and the most consistent supplier of major league talent the past 10 years is a franchise maintained at no cost to baseball. It finds and signs its own prospects, suits them up, develops them, refines them, weeds them out — and then turns them over to the big leagues fully polished and ready for the World Series. “The University of Southern California baseball team is to the majors what the Mesabi range is to steel or the forest is to Weyerhauser — a seemingly limitless supply of basic ore or timber. “... Rod Dedeaux went to bat only four times in the big leagues. Nevertheless he probably 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 first 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 confrontation for the title. Troy won the first 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 decisive game three. George Hefner, if M20 * UCLA W 13-0 M18 * UCLA (13) W 4-3 In the final 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 sacrifice and scored a run in Maynard Horst, rhp A9 at Santa Barbara College W 6-5 M28 ^ Washington State W 7-5 the first 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 relinquished on the way to a 9-2 championship 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 fielder Gordon Don Pender, lhp A24 * at Stanford (10) W 12-10 J26 + Yale L 3-8 Jones added two RBI. For Yale, first 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 final 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 Playoffs at Pullman, Wash. game margin, going 13-2 to win their third Al Wilson, of M7 * St. Mary’s W 5-4 # NCAA Western Playoffs 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. Playoffs, where it swept Washington State Bob Zuber, c M14 * Stanford W 3-1 in two games, 7-5 and 6-3. In the finale, 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 Playoffs, which saw two wins over Baylor and one over Oklahoma A&M (now The 1948 team had a famous batboy (the young boy wearing the Oklahoma State), USC advanced to its first white t-shirt in the front of the team picture). The 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. Bob Allen, if USC fought its way back through the losers’ Jim Barudoni, lhp bracket to claim the crown, making it only the Don Biasotti, lf second team in CWS history to accomplish that Bob Blakeslee, lhp feat (Texas did it previously in 1950). Mike Blewitt, if The Trojans rebounded from the loss to Gary Boone, if beat Arizona, 4-0; Colorado State, 12-1; and Ben Breskovich, of Holy Cross, 6-2.