Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Mourns the Loss of Hall-of-Famer Gene Depew '71 (UPDATED)
11/23/2015 3:22:00 PM | Baseball
**Memorial services for Gene Depew**
Family and friends are welcome at a celebration of Gene's life at Rooke Chapel, Bucknell University, Lewisburg, on Saturday, December 12, 2015 at 11 a.m., with Rev. Ted Justice officiating. Following the service, there will be a reception at Sojka Pavilion. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Gene's memory may be made to the Bucknell University Baseball Program in care of the Bison Club, One Dent Drive, Lewisburg, PA 17837.
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Gene Depew, a 1971 Bucknell graduate who was a standout defensive lineman on the Bison football team before embarking on a 40-year coaching career at his alma mater, passed away on Nov. 23 at the age of 66.
Depew was an assistant football coach at Bucknell from 1972-92, and he was the head baseball coach for 31 years before retiring following the 2012 season. On the diamond, he won 591 games, more than five times the number of any other Bison baseball coach, and he guided the team to five NCAA Tournament appearances. He was inducted into the Bucknell Athletics Hall of Fame with the 35th Class in 2013.
“I was deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Gene Depew,” said director of athletics and recreation John Hardt. “Gene was truly an institution at Bucknell. He positively influenced the lives of so many student-athletes and colleagues during his four-decade tenure here. Gene took the Bison baseball team to a new level of competitive success, but even more important is that he was a great friend to so many of us at Bucknell and around the community.”
“Gene led his teams in a way that earned so much respect from his players, peers, competitors, and anyone who came in contact with him,” said current head coach Scott Heather, who served as an assistant coach under Depew for eight years before succeeding him in the manager's seat in June 2012. “Like he did for so many others, he was a true mentor for me, not only as a baseball coach, but in all aspects of life. Words cannot express what he meant to my family and me.”
Depew was so well-respected by his former players that in 2003 the Bucknell varsity baseball field was renamed Eugene B. Depew Field in his honor.
A native of Mifflintown, Pa., Depew was the recipient of both bachelor and master of science degrees in education from Bucknell. As an undergraduate, Depew was a three-year letterwinner on the gridiron. He earned All-Middle Atlantic Conference Honorable Mention in 1969 and served as co-captain of the team during his senior year.
Following graduation, Depew returned to Bucknell to coach the defensive line, and he would remain an assistant football coach until 1992. Depew was first introduced to the baseball program in 1974, when he was hired as an assistant coach under Hall-of-Famer Tommy Thompson. Prior to the 1982 baseball season, Depew was chosen to succeed Thompson as head baseball coach.
In 1993, as the evolution of the Bison football program allowed for more full-time assistant coaches, Depew was able to turn his full attention toward the baseball diamond. Just three years later, Bucknell won its first conference title of any kind since 1969 with a three-game victory over Navy in the Patriot League Championship Series. In 1996 the Bison also advanced to the NCAA Regionals for the first time, competing in Gainesville, Fla.
A four-time Patriot League Coach of the Year, Depew later piloted Bucknell to Patriot League titles and NCAA appearances in 2001, 2003, 2008 and 2010. It was at the 2008 NCAA Regional in Tallahassee, Fla., when the Bison earned what is considered the biggest win in program history, a 7-0 shutout of a Florida State powerhouse that came in with a 48-9 record and a .350 team batting average.
Depew is survived by his wife, Debbie, and two children who attended Bucknell. Erin graduated in 2006 and William in 2010. His two brothers – Terry ('73) and Alvin ('81) also played football at Bucknell.
