The State College Daily Collegian described State College Spikes manager Mark DeJohn meeting with his transfixed players in June 2006 as DeJohn "spitting fire and brimstone about baseball, religion and life."
"That, right there, is his trademark," pitching coach Sid Monge told The Daily Collegian of that meeting. "He communicates. If you really listen to that carefully, he has a message for you no matter what. He does it through humor; he does it through a good sense of direction."
DeJohn was then well into his long coaching career, much of it spent in the minors, though some in the majors. He became a coach after first playing, and briefly reaching the majors, himself - in his 12th season.
DeJohn's long career in baseball began in 1971, taken by the Mets in the 23rd round out of Wilson High School in Connecticut.
He started at rookie Marion, then made single-A Pompano Beach in 1973, AA Victoria in 1974 and AAA Tidewater in 1975. He continued at AAA, moving to the Tigers system in 1978.
Then, in April 1982, he made Detroit. Upon his callup, a former manager of his - and future Hall of Famer - Jim Leyland recounted to The Evansville Press qualities he saw in DeJohn that would serve him well later.
"He's a blessing for a manager," Leyland told The Press. "The professional atmosphere he creates is outstanding. He never complains, he just does his job. And he has a way of helping to relax the guys while teaching them to win."
DeJohn got into 24 games with the Tigers and hit .190. He played one more season at AAA, ending his playing career.
DeJohn then started his minor league managerial career with the Tigers at AA Birmingham. He moved to the Cardinals system in 1986 and stayed with the organization through much of the rest of his career, more than three decades later.
Along the way, DeJohn managed at Savannah, Johnson City, AAA Louisville and elsewhere.
In 1996, moved back to the majors with the Cardinals as bullpen coach an then as bench coach. He stayed in the majors through 2001, then returned to manage at AA New Haven for 2002. He later served a decade as Cardinals minor league field coordinator before his retirement at the end of 2019.
"I haven't made a lot of money in the game, I really haven't," DeJohn told St. Louis Sports Page upon his retirement. "But I've made a living. I feel privileged to have made a living in the game. I enjoyed coming to work every day and that's something a lot of people can't say. I feel very fortunate."
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- Evansville Press, April 22, 1982: Mr. big leaguer
- State College Daily Collegian, June 30, 2006: DeJohn revels in teaching players
- St. Louis Sports Page, Aug. 28, 2019: Mark DeJohn's retirement will leave big void in Cardinals organization
Made the Majors:1,421-32.1-X
Never Made Majors:3,008-67.9%
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