Dedeaux, Rod

▪ 2007

Raoul Martial Dedeaux 

      American baseball coach (b. Feb. 17, 1914, New Orleans, La.—d. Jan. 5, 2006, Glendale, Calif.), modeled his coaching style on that of his friend and major league baseball coach Casey Stengel and guided the University of Southern California (USC) Trojans to a record 11 College World Series championships and a record five consecutive National Collegiate Athletic Association championships (1970–74). In addition, he created a dynasty at USC; more than 60 of his players entered the major leagues, including Tom Seaver, Dave Kingman, Randy Johnson, and Mark McGwire. Dedeaux, who believed that “a little clowning always helps,” had new players don a red wig and led his team in a spirited rendition of “MacNamara's Band” after each victory. Dedeaux, who played briefly for the Brooklyn Dodgers before he was sidelined with a back injury, was also the president of Dart Transportation, an international trucking company.

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