Jack Degele Steps Down After 25 Years Leading the Baltimore Catholic League

After a quarter-century guiding one of the nation’s premier high school basketball leagues, longtime commissioner Jack Degele passes the torch — leaving behind a legacy of growth, stability and community that helped define Baltimore hoops

Jack Degele (left) poses with Our Lady of Mount Carmel basketball coach Tony Martin after Martin was selected as the Baltimore Catholic League Coach of the Year at the league’s annual award luncheon in February. Degele has stepped down as the BCL commissioner after a successful 25-year run. / Derek Toney

During a break between the first and second quarter of last March’s Baltimore Catholic League Tournament championship game, Jack Degele was honored for his 25 years as commissioner.

A Quarter-Century of Steady Leadership

From weathering the loss of several member schools to creating a Hall of Fame, Degele’s steady hand helped keep the BCL among the nation’s best high school boys basketball leagues. 

With the league’s 55th season approaching, Degele has decided his work is done, stepping down as BCL commissioner.

“There’s an adage you don’t want to stay on too long and I could do this for the rest of my life because I love it so much, but I realized that you should have new ideas in order to get better and change comes with that,” Degele said to The Baltimore Sun.

A New Era Begins With Mark Rohde

Mark Rohde, who served as an assistant under Degele the past three seasons, has been selected as Degele’s successor. Rohde, a 1972 Loyola Blakefield graduate, was approved as the BCL’s fourth commissioner Oct. 17 by the league’s board of directors. 

Mark Rhode, a member of the BCL and Loyola University Hall of Fames, has been named the fourth commissioner of the Baltimore Catholic League. / Baltimore Catholic League

Rohde starred at then-Loyola College in Maryland (now Loyola University) where Degele was an assistant. Rohde, a member of Loyola’s Athletic Hall of Fame (1992), was inducted into the BCL Hall of Fame in 2014.

The BCL's Roots Date Back to 1971

The Baltimore Catholic League was founded in 1971 after Archbishop Curley, Calvert Hall College, Cardinal Gibbons, Loyola Blakefield, Mount Saint Joseph and Towson Catholic left the Maryland Scholastic Association (MSA) for basketball only. 

Degele, 78, a 1965 Mount Saint Joseph graduate who played and coached at the University of Baltimore, implemented a structured business plan, a board of directors and league bylaws.

While BCL charter schools Towson Catholic (closed in 2009) and Cardinal Gibbons (2010) closed their doors along with Saint Maria Goretti (2024) during Degele’s tenure, the league welcomed John Carroll School (2010), Our Lady of Mount Carmel (2011) and Saint Mary’s (2024).

In 2011, with help from the league’s board, Degele established the BCL Hall of Fame to recognize past standout players, coaches and administrators. Eighty-two inductees, including former NBA players Juan Dixon (Calvert Hall), Duane Ferrell (Calvert Hall), Rudy Gay (Archbishop Spalding), Devin Gray (Saint Frances Academy), Rodney Monroe (Goretti), Mark Karcher (Saint Frances) and current Toronto Raptors guard Immanuel Quickley (John Carroll), have been celebrated at a dinner banquet that take place every two years.

Naismith Hall of Fame coaches Jay Wright, Gary Williams and John Calipari have been keynote speakers.

Degele, who succeeded Mark Russo (1994-1999) as BCL commissioner in the 2000-01 season, will stay involved as its commissioner emeritus. 

Jim “Snuffy” Smith (1988-1993) was the first BCL commissioner after Towson Catholic athletic director Mike Farabaugh (1971-1973), Calvert Hall principal Brother D. John Smith, FSC (1972-1976) and Loyola Blakefield coach Jerry Savage (1976-1988, 1993-1994 and 1999-2000) served as chairman.

Degele’s Final Word: It’s All About Relationships

“This was a chance for me to keep basketball in my life, do some good along the way and have fun watching all the games while mingling with the players, coaches and fans,” Degele said. “It’s the relationships really, when you get down to it and I’ve got friends through this community that I’ll have forever. It’s given me a lot of joy and it was never like work.”