He was walking out and Bruce Springsteen was a walking in. Joe DePugh of Freehold, who inspired the Springsteen hit “Glory Days” after a chance encounter at the Headliner of Neptune, has passed away.

DePugh, who died at age 75, was childhood pals with the Boss Sergione Infuso/Corbis via Getty Joe DePugh inspired Bruce Springsteen's hit "Glory Days" The two had played baseball together in ...

Bruce Springsteen and the late Joe DePugh. Photo courtesy of the Stowe Reporter (Vermont) The King’s graduate went to high school with the Boss. Posted by Bruce Springsteen on Social media.

Thanks to Bruce Springsteen, Joe DePugh’s glory days never really passed him by. DePugh, who helped inspire “Glory Days” — Springsteen’s rollicking, yet bittersweet ode to youthful memories on his ...

This story originally appeared in the Asbury Park Press on Oct. 18, 1995. ASBURY PARK – Just 24 hours after announcing a release date for his long-awaited new album and concert tour, Bruce Springsteen ...

He was walking out and Bruce Springsteen was walking in. Joe DePugh, the Freehold, New Jersey native who inspired Springsteen's hit “Glory Days” after a chance encounter in their shared hometown, has ...

Joe DePugh, a childhood friend of Bruce Springsteen who inspired the hit song "Glory Days," has died at 75. DePugh and Springsteen played baseball together as kids, and a chance encounter years later ...

A gifted athlete, he gave a clumsy teenage Bruce Springsteen his first nickname, Saddie. Years later, the Boss returned the favor, memorializing him in a song. By Michael S. Rosenwald Joe DePugh, the ...

ASBURY PARK – Just 24 hours after announcing a release date for his long-awaited new album and concert tour, Bruce Springsteen finally confirmed the worst-kept secret in rock 'n' roll yesterday, ...

DePugh was a stand-out pitcher with a “speedball,” and he also played basketball. In baseball, he tried out for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Springsteen and DePugh were later part-time neighbors in Palm ...

Joe DePugh, the Little League teammate of Bruce Springsteen who inspired that rocker’s hit song “Glory Days,” a rousing, bittersweet anthem to their hardscrabble childhoods in Freehold, New Jersey, ...