It's with a heavy heart that I pass on the word of the passing of one of our own....Ray DeJong. Not only was he one of Pappys Boys, but he was also my football coach at South San Francisco High School in the '80's. He passed on his 92nd birthday. He will be missed.

I can't find his obituary online, but here's the press release my old high school posted:

Ray DeJong
1926 - 2018

After playing on two Cal Rose Bowl teams, Ray DeJong came to South San Francisco High School in Sep. of 1950 where he coached JV and Varsity Football and taught PE for 38 years. He was the first Varsity Football Coach at the current SSFHS site and started the wrestling program for which he coached for 10 years. Ray also coached baseball for a short period of time. During the summers, he taught and ran South San Francisco High's American Red Cross swim program.

In his 28 seasons as Varsity Head Football Coach, South San Francisco High's win/loss/tie record was 154-94-8 and amassed 9 league championships. Ray won several Football Coach of the Year awards and was selected to coach California's Northern team in the North/South California High School All-Star Shriner's Football game, which was played in the LA Memorial Coliseum. He's been inducted into three sports Halls of Fame: his Enumclaw, WA high school sports hall of fame, San Mateo County Hall of Fame and the California Coaches Hall of Fame.

Ray passed on his 92 birthday. A true Warrior.

Sorry to hear this. I wonder how many of Pappy's boys are left? Would love to find a way for us to achieve even half what they did.

RighteousGoldenBear said:

---

It's with a heavy heart that I pass on the word of the passing of one of our own....Ray DeJong. Not only was he one of Pappys Boys, but he was also my football coach at South San Francisco High School in the '80's. He passed on his 92nd birthday. He will be missed.

I can't find his obituary online, but here's the press release my old high school posted:

Ray DeJong
1926 - 2018

After playing on two Cal Rose Bowl teams, Ray DeJong came to South San Francisco High School in Sep. of 1950 where he coached JV and Varsity Football and taught PE for 38 years. He was the first Varsity Football Coach at the current SSFHS site and started the wrestling program for which he coached for 10 years. Ray also coached baseball for a short period of time. During the summers, he taught and ran South San Francisco High's American Red Cross swim program.

In his 28 seasons as Varsity Head Football Coach, South San Francisco High's win/loss/tie record was 154-94-8 and amassed 9 league championships. Ray won several Football Coach of the Year awards and was selected to coach California's Northern team in the North/South California High School All-Star Shriner's Football game, which was played in the LA Memorial Coliseum. He's been inducted into three sports Halls of Fame: his Enumclaw, WA high school sports hall of fame, San Mateo County Hall of Fame and the California Coaches Hall of Fame.

Ray passed on his 92 birthday. A true Warrior.

---

and condolences, Righteous, from an El Camino Colt. I didn't even know Ray coached at SSF until I had gone to Berkeley - in the mid 70s, so a little before you. And South City consistently kicked our azz during my time - and now I know why

Excellent coach and very nice family with two really cool kids in my school who were a pleasure when I taught in Albany. That was 35 years ago when Coach was at SSFHS.

In today's SF Chronicle and SFGate:
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/sfgate/obituary.aspx?n=raymond-e-dejong&pid=188733186

Geez.....first of all, I'm sorry to hear of his passing.

Second, I wonder if there's any way the AD could do some sort of a tribute to the remaining Pappy's Boys during the season. The story of their accomplishments during the war and after (at Cal) should be made known to every Californian.

And Cal Band could do a tribute to Pappy's Boys at halftime.

Now that would be a "not miss" game!!!

For a number of years my seatmate and I sat in front of Boots Erb, a Pappy's Boy and son of Charles Erb, the quarterback on the Wonder Teams. He was very friendly and kept us entertained with stories of those times, a few years before we were even born. He even had us join a gathering of the Pappy's Boys at a restaurant in Fresno before the game there and we rode over with them to the game and back (our experience of that game consequently was not bad at all). He stopped coming to the games a few years before the reconstruction and I just had to look him up now to see that he had passed away in 2013. He was a childhood and life-long friend of Jackie Jensen, and they owned a restaurant together which I'm sure was well patronized by Old Blues. Also on the Pappy's Boys theme, I see Paul Larson every once and awhile here in Turlock, usually outside a restaurant I pass every day on the way to work, and occasionally at a local high school game. Had a nice chat with him there last year when he saw my Cal shirt. There would be very few at the games, guys my age and older, who would even know who he was and what he used to do on that field, including being the California HS player of the year in 1949. My Dad used to tell me stories about those days. At age 86 he is still pretty spry (Larson, that is. My Dad would be 105 if he were alive today)..

Larno said:

---

For a number of years my seatmate and I sat in front of Boots Erb, a Pappy's Boy and son of Charles Erb, the quarterback on the Wonder Teams. He was very friendly and kept us entertained with stories of those times, a few years before we were even born. He even had us join a gathering of the Pappy's Boys at a restaurant in Fresno before the game there and we rode over with them to the game and back (our experience of that game consequently was not bad at all). He stopped coming to the games a few years before the reconstruction and I just had to look him up now to see that he had passed away in 2013. He was a childhood and life-long friend of Jackie Jensen, and they owned a restaurant together which I'm sure was well patronized by Old Blues. Also on the Pappy's Boys theme, I see Paul Larson every once and awhile here in Turlock, usually outside a restaurant I pass every day on the way to work, and occasionally at a local high school game. Had a nice chat with him there last year when he saw my Cal shirt. There would be very few at the games, guys my age and older, who would even know who he was and what he used to do on that field, including being the California HS player of the year in 1949. My Dad used to tell me stories about those days. At age 86 he is still pretty spry (Larson, that is. My Dad would be 105 if he were alive today)..

---

As I recall their restaurant on Jack London Square was The Bow and Bell on the site that eventually became Scott's, et al.

QB Paul Larson was a fantastic player from the 1952-54 period (prox). His "action sequence pictures" were in Trib' every Fall Sunday. I was just a 10-year old kid in those days. One of those Tight Wad Hill boys.

Thank you for sharing. Go Bears!

joe amos yaks said:

---

Larno said:

---

For a number of years my seatmate and I sat in front of Boots Erb, a Pappy's Boy and son of Charles Erb, the quarterback on the Wonder Teams. He was very friendly and kept us entertained with stories of those times, a few years before we were even born. He even had us join a gathering of the Pappy's Boys at a restaurant in Fresno before the game there and we rode over with them to the game and back (our experience of that game consequently was not bad at all). He stopped coming to the games a few years before the reconstruction and I just had to look him up now to see that he had passed away in 2013. He was a childhood and life-long friend of Jackie Jensen, and they owned a restaurant together which I'm sure was well patronized by Old Blues. Also on the Pappy's Boys theme, I see Paul Larson every once and awhile here in Turlock, usually outside a restaurant I pass every day on the way to work, and occasionally at a local high school game. Had a nice chat with him there last year when he saw my Cal shirt. There would be very few at the games, guys my age and older, who would even know who he was and what he used to do on that field, including being the California HS player of the year in 1949. My Dad used to tell me stories about those days. At age 86 he is still pretty spry (Larson, that is. My Dad would be 105 if he were alive today)..

---

As I recall their restaurant on Jack London Square was The Bow and Bell on the site that eventually became Scott's, et al.

QB Paul Larson was a fantastic player from the 1952-54 period (prox). His "action sequence pictures" were in Trib' every Fall Sunday. I was just a 10-year old kid in those days. One of those Tight Wad Hill boys.

Thank you for sharing. Go Bears!

---

Larson played '51-'54.