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Twenty-eight years have passed since Anaheim Angels’ bench coach Joe Maddon ’76 called College Hill home, but his pride for the Leopards remains clearly evident.
“In my bio in the Angels’ media guide it says that I attended Lafayette University,” Maddon said. “Could you please tell our media relations department in Anaheim to change it to Lafayette College, because people are going to associate it with Lehigh University and that is something I do not want to happen.”
The charismatic Maddon came to Lafayette from nearby Hazleton, enrolling in 1973 as a two-sport athlete, playing both football and baseball for the Leopards.
“Lafayette always had a respected baseball program, and I wanted to be a part of that,” Maddon said.
With the help of then Lafayette baseball skipper Norm Gigon, he began to slowly chip away the seemingly impenetrable Major League Baseball inner circle.
“Norm (Gigon) made me a catcher, and then he taught me so much about the position,” Maddon said. “Looking back, he was the best teacher I ever had and I found that out later on. When I began playing in the minor leagues and even coaching and scouting I found that people were always re-emphasizing what he told me years prior at Lafayette.”
While Maddon walked around College Hill with the quiet goal that he would someday have a hand in a World Series victory, he admittedly benefited as a person from the academic atmosphere at Lafayette.
“Lafayette really stretched me mentally and socially,” Maddon said. “I am still gratefully associated with people that I played for and alongside, and I often see old friends when I am on the road, especially at Yankee Stadium.”
After several unsuccessful attempts to gain invitation to the prestigious Cape Cod Summer League, Maddon left College Hill for the minor leagues. After winning the 1975 National Baseball Congress championship as a member of the Boulder, Col., baseball team, he was signed by the Angels as a free agent to single-A affiliate Quad City.
After a few years as a catcher in the Angels’ farm system, Maddon switched careers and became a scout and manager.
Maddon got his first job as a manager of the Angels’ Pioneer League Single-A club in Idaho Falls in 1981. His new career was born, and Maddon’s loyalty and dedication allowed the former Leopard to slowly claw his way up the managerial ladder.
The call finally came on May 17, 1994 when Maddon was appointed bullpen coach for Major League Baseball’s California Angels. He has remained an integral part ever since, moving to first base coach and then bench coach, his current position.
As a bench coach, Maddon has a hand in a majority of the decisions and preparation going into a game. In his nine seasons on the Angels’ major league staff, Maddon has served as an interim manager on three occasions, posting a 33-26 mark.
The biggest credit to his resume may be the fact that Maddon is the only coach that current Anaheim manager Mike Scioscia retained after taking over control of the club in 2001.
Maddon was rightfully paid the respect he deserves, and the Angels celebrated their first World Series title in 2002.
“I would love to manage and eventually become a general manager,” Maddon confided. “The exposure from our World Series win and the postseason experience that I gained is necessary for me to get that kind of opportunity.”
Joe Maddon ’76