Don DeJong ’54, the baby-faced, record-breaking athlete for all seasons, died July 10, 2025, at 93.
While his professional career as a school administrator took him to Florida, DeJong spent sizable chunks of his retirement in Granville, Ohio, supporting Denison, where he starred on the football, basketball, and track and field teams. He was inducted into the Varsity D Association Hall of Fame in 1981.
“Don loved Denison,” says Jack Hatem, named Big Red head football coach in 2010. “He interacted with us a lot after I was named head coach, and he did everything he could to help us. Zack Brent ’07 was my first defensive coordinator, and Don really helped Zack a lot – even staying in touch with Zack when the family would go back to Florida.”
DeJong was like a character ripped from the panels of a Gil Thorp comic strip. Industrious and straight laced, he worked hard on the athletic fields and in the classrooms, still finding time to earn extra money peeling potatoes at the Granville Inn.
Despite his star status, DeJong kept a watchful eye over underclassmen and did not tolerate harassment.
“This was back when hazing played a big part of campus life everywhere,” says Bill Mason ’57, who played basketball and was an outstanding lacrosse player. “Don discouraged it and he was very supportive of first years, assisting us with our growth as young athletes.”
DeJong was the big man on campus from the moment he arrived from Springfield, Ohio, where he helped his high school basketball team win a state championship. Standing 6-foot-5, he was a pivotal member of the Big Red basketball team, and his 922 career points were a school record upon his graduation.
During the 1951-52 season, DeJong grabbed a staggering 36 rebounds in a game against Otterbein University. Denison was a member of the Ohio Athletic Conference at the time, and the single-game mark remains the OAC record. His 36 rebounds ties for a Division III national record, but is not officially acknowledged because the NCAA didn’t begin recognizing Division III statistics until 1973.
The momentous achievement is virtually lost to history in part because of one of DeJong’s most endearing qualities.
“My father was very humble,” his son Dirk DeJong says. “He wasn’t one to brag about his accomplishments or records.”
DeJong set a school record in the high jump as a first year in a conference meet and he also excelled in the shot put and discus.
But it’s on the football field, where DeJong is best remembered. Playing in an era before facemasks, and rules that penalize head shots, he led the team in receptions and receiving yards in each of his last three varsity seasons. His 1,245 career receiving yards still ranks among Denison’s top-15 all time.
DeJong had tryouts with the Philadelphia Eagles and Los Angeles Rams, but lacked the foot speed to make it as an NFL wide receiver. Had he been born a generation later, DeJong might have become a prototype NFL tight end.
“He could have been a Travis Kelce,” Hatem says.
In today’s age of athletic specialization, it’s hard to imagine an athlete playing three sports at college, much less being a standout in each. But DeJong was a product of his time, a student who routinely hitchhiked home to Springfield, where he spent summers mowing lawns and delivering milk.
DeJong received his master’s degree in administration from Wittenberg University before launching into a successful career in education. He loved golf and antique cars, traveling the country to attend shows with his wife Joyce. He also earned a pilot’s licence.
DeJong never lost his passion for Denison, returning to campus to attend games and post-game gatherings at the home of legendary football coach Keith Piper. When the family bought property in Granville after his retirement, DeJong spent his free time on campus and reunited with his old friend Mason.
“I always looked up to Don, not just because of his size, but because of how he conducted himself and the way he treated others,” Mason says. “I don’t care what sport it was, it was always Don DeJong season. He was not just good, he was a stud.”
