Women’s coach retiring after 43 years
A Penn State legend is calling it a career.
The school announced Thursday that women’s volleyball coach Russ Rose is retiring after a 43-year tenure highlighted by seven national championships – including four in a row from 2007 to 2010.
“My time here has provided my family and I many memories and relationships that we will carry with us,” Rose said in a statement released by the school. “I would like to thank the many players, managers and support staff for their dedication, in addition to all of the assistants who helped shape the culture and success of the program.
Rose will remain in an advisory role with the athletic department moving forward while assistant Katie Schumacher-Cawley will take over as interim coach as Penn State searches for a replacement.
The coach retires as the winningest in NCAA Division I history with 1,330 victories. In addition to national titles, his teams won 25 conference crowns and appeared in the NCAA tournament 41 times. During his tenure, Rose also coached 112 All-Americans and four national players of the year.
His tenure ended with a 3 -1 loss to Pitt in the NCAA tournament’s second round on Dec. 4. The Nittany Lions went 21-11 and 13-7 in the Big Ten in his final season.
“It’s difficult to appropriately capture our appreciation for Russ Rose and his service to our students, Penn State and our women’s volleyball program. We send our heartfelt congratulations to Russ Rose on a phenomenal career at Penn State, and decades of tremendous impact on students, staff and community,” athletic director Sandy Barbour said in the statement. “He has been a mainstay of our community for more than four decades and will long be remembered for raising the profile of women’s volleyball, not just at Penn State but nationally. His legacy will live on through the hundreds of student-athletes who recount what a positive influence he has been on their lives, long after graduation.”