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Donald Deardorff

Biography

The Cedarville University family grieves the sudden and unexpected passing of Dr. Donald Deardorff on October 22, 2021. Dr. Deardorff served Cedarville faithfully for 25 years, and we will always remember him for his kindness to everyone and his commitment to academic excellence in the classroom. We mourn the loss of Dr. Deardorff and are praying for his wife and other family members during this difficult time.

Dr. Donald L. Deardorff II joined the Cedarville University faculty in 1996 and was granted tenure and promotion in 2002. He teaches courses in American literature and criticism and oversees the Senior Seminar in English. He has published several articles on literature and men's studies and is a frequent presenter at meetings of the American Literature Association, the American Culture Association, and the Conference on Christianity and Literature. His books include Sports: A Reference Guide and Critical Commentary (2000), The Hero and Anti-Hero in the American Football Novel: Changing Conceptions of Masculinity From The Nineteenth Century to the Twenty-First Century (2006), The Image of God in the Human Body: Essays on Christianity and Sports (2009), and Bruce Springsteen: American Poet and Prophet (2014). He is currently working on a memoir. He plays ice hockey, and he and his wife particularly enjoy having students over to their house. They are mentors in Cedarville's Fit to Be Tied Program.

Education and Credentials

  • Ph.D. in English (Modern American Literature), University of Rhode Island
  • M.A. in American Studies, University of Maryland, College Park
  • B.A. in English, Gettysburg College

Scholarly Works

  • American Masculinity and the Gridiron: The Development of the Football Narrative (Donald L. Deardorff) Faculty Dissertations (1994)
  • Bruce Springsteen: American Poet and Prophet (Donald L. Deardorff) Faculty Books (2013)
  • The Image of God in the Human Body: Essays on Christianity and Sports (Donald L. Deardorff and John White) Faculty Books (2008)
  • Hero and Anti-hero in the American Football Novel: Changing Conceptions of Masculinity from the 19th Century to the 21st Century (Donald L. Deardorff) Faculty Books (2006)
  • Sports: A Reference Guide and Critical Commentary, 1980-1999 (Donald L. Deardorff) Faculty Books (2000)

Interests

  • Ice hockey
  • Traveling with his wife, Julie, to presidential and other historic sites
  • Reading 
  • Playing with his Shih Tzus
  • Why Cedarville: I love working with a group of kind, intelligent scholars who are so dedicated to serving Christ, students, and each other!