Profile on Judy Rose: Charlotte 49ers Athletic Director

Emily Shields

MPSM 510

April 10, 2016

“My two core values have always been honesty and integrity, and those values have not

changed throughout my career,” said Charlotte 49ers director of athletics Judy Rose. With these

values, Rose has completely transformed the department of athletics at UNC Charlotte since

receiving her current title in 1990 (Director of Athletics, n.d.). The third female athletic director

in the country, Rose’s rise to the top has provided her with a fair share of challenges, from being

overwhelmed by new roles to intimidation in a male-dominated industry. Rose uses the lessons

she has learned from her past experiences and looks to role models she has met along the way to

ensure that the 49ers athletic department not only grows, but provides student athletes with their

own role models and the ability to thrive.

Rose’s interest in the sports industry began during her early years in Blacksburg, SC.

Coming from a large family and having six sisters, Rose spent much of her childhood outside.

“The only organized sport we really had was basketball and I loved it. My goals were to major in

physical education and then coach college basketball,” said Rose. Rose was well on her way to

achieving that goal after earning a bachelor’s degree from Winthrop University in 1974. She then

enrolled in graduate school at the University of Tennessee in 1975 to earn a master’s degree in

physical education (Director of Athletics, n.d.). It was there that Rose had the opportunity to be

an assistant coach to one of her role models today, Pat Summitt.

Summitt, regarded as one of the revolutionary coaches in women’s basketball, inspired

Rose and taught her a lot about the importance of female leadership in sports. Rose said, “I

didn’t have any real role models growing up. Before Pat, I never knew a female in sports that had

so much influence and that was inspiring. I knew I wanted to lead others and coach.” Towards

the end of Rose’s assistantship, Title IX, the federal law stating that women and men must have

equal opportunities to participate in sports, started to impact colleges across the nation (Title IX,

n.d.)

That’s when Rose saw job opportunities open up. While it was a positive development

for Rose, it created tension among her colleagues. “In graduate school, our class was about 50/50

men and women. Towards the end of the academic year, a guy would come in and tell us he’s

just been offered the high school football job in Knoxville,” Rose explained. “The next day, a

girl would come in and say, ‘I’ve just been offered the tennis and basketball coach job at the

University of North Alabama.’ Guys were definitely pissed.”

Rose was then offered the coaching job she dreamt of since childhood and became the

women’s basketball and tennis coach at UNC Charlotte in 1975. She was also required to teach

one course and was paid just $8,000. The real stepping-stone for her career came in 1981 when

she was asked to chose between remaining a full-time coach or becoming an assistant athletic

director. As Rose puts it, she quit coaching and moved over to the “dark side.”

After progressing to associate director of athletics in 1985, Rose was presented with the

opportunity of a lifetime, but she met the opportunity with hesitation. Following an athletic

scandal that rocked North Carolina State University, the UNC System president said that a sitting

basketball or men’s football coach can no longer have the dual responsibility of being athletic

director (“Valvano Told to Resign as AD,” 1989). Charlotte 49ers athletic director at the time,

Jeff Mullins, fell into that category, meaning there was a need for a new athletic director. After

Mullins told Rose that she was the top consideration for the new role, her reaction was not what

she expected. “I wasn’t sure that I wanted it. I was terrified. I had no role models. I did not know

any female athletic directors,” said Rose. “There were only two others in the country. At every

meeting I attended on behalf of UNC Charlotte athletics, I was the only female. In my mind, role

models needed to be gender specific.”

After meeting with the the chancellor, J.M. Woodward, and expressing her concerns,

Woodward offered her advice. He told her that she did not need to find role models that were in

her exact position, gender and role specific, but find role models in leadership positions

throughout Charlotte. Woodward also stressed the importance of networking because the athletic

director position was now going to be more focused on fundraising in the community. Rose

began speaking to and meeting with two women in the Charlotte area who she counts as some of

the key influences in her life today. The women are Dale Halton, owner and CEO of Pepsi

Bottling Company, and Pat Rodgers, president and CEO of Rodgers Building.

On their influence, Rose said, “Both women were in businesses that were predominately

male, so they understood my intimidation. What they did most for me was to invite me to

community events where the right people were.” Networking with the right people made it easier

for Rose to ask for fundraising money for big events like the NCAA Final Four in 1994 and

1996. She also made key relationships that helped her grow as a person.

During her networking efforts, Rose met DeLoss Dodds, athletic director at the

University of Texas, and C.M. Newton, athletic director of the University of Kentucky. The two

men took Rose under their wing, seeing her potential, and helped her secure a spot as the first

female to serve on the the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee in 1999. She didn’t

get in the first time. “DeLoss pulled me aside and said, “They’re not ready for a woman yet…but

just wait.” She earned a spot as the first woman to serve on that committee and the rest is history.

Even though Rose broke ground in a male-dominated industry, she couldn’t help shake

the feeling that she somehow needed to prove herself. She did not join any woman-only sports

associations because she was afraid it would send the wrong message to her male colleagues.

The National Association of Collegiate Women’s Athletic Administrators took offense when she

turned down an offer to join, but Rose was concerned of earning the respect of the group she

worked with. She only joined the National Association of Director of Athletics. “I made the

right move at the time and today, it’s a different world. I would’ve joined both, but I had no one

there to tell me not to. It was the right path.”

This path led Rose to major accomplishments in her current role. Since Rose became

athletic director and the university’s student population has grown from 8,000 to 25,000, the

athletic department has seen major changes (Spanberg, 2013). Rose was able to move the 49ers

athletic conference from the Sun Belt Conference to Conference USA. Rose’s $100 million

fundraising efforts have contributed to the construction of new athletic facilities, like the student

activity center, student training center, and a new track and field. She also has been able to bring

major sporting events to UNC Charlotte, including the 1999 Men’s Final Four, 1996 Women’s

Final Four, 1997 AAU Junior Olympics, and 1999 and 2000 NCAA Division 1 Men’s Soccer

College Cup. Finally, today, for the first time in the history of the school, the 49ers athletic

department is fully-funded at the NCAA allowable levels (Director of Athletics, n.d.).

Perhaps her biggest accomplishment has been bringing football to campus in 2013.

According to Rose, football makes the athletic program perceived as more complete and it is

something she envisioned having when she became athletic director. Six years in the making,

Rose’s leadership has provided the Charlotte 49ers with a Conference USA football team that

has not only increased school spirit on campus, but has provided at least 30 new job

opportunities (Smith, 2013).

On a daily basis, Rose’s schedule is as busy one would imagine. She oversees budgetary

issues, checks in on the progress of programs and finds ways to improve facilities. However, to

Rose, the most important part of her job is hiring new staff, especially coaches. Her one rule is

that she will only hire a coach that she would want coaching her children. “Coaches are

important because they are like surrogate parents. If people are going to trust their children to us,

then it’s our responsibility to have the right people leading them,” Rose continued, “If you don’t,

then shame on us.” Rose appears to be hiring the right people as the average GPA of students in

the athletic department is over 3.0, and the heavy majority of the school’s athletic programs have

either won or been presented in NCAA play (Director of Athletics, n.d.).

Rose credits where she is now to the role models she’s had throughout her career. Pat

Summitt opened her eyes to how powerful women can be in the sports industry. Dale Halton and

Pat Rodgers provided guidance on how to succeed in a male-dominated industry. Finally,

DeLoss Dodds and C.M. Newton showed her the power of perseverance. From these individuals,

Rose offers this advice to anyone looking to begin a career in not only the sports industry, but in

any element of life. Rose said, “Don’t make the same mistake I did in thinking you need to find

an exact role model to fit a blueprint. You can find role models that can fill what you’re looking

for.”

As the Charlotte 49ers athletics department continues to grow, Rose’s role as the director

of athletics will undoubtedly grow as well. Using her core values of honesty and integrity, Rose

will continue to make an impact on the lives of student athletes by creating new programs and

hiring staff that can be the kind of role models Rose admired. Rose has often looked to others for

guidance and advice, but she is now the one inspiring others.

References: Director of Athletics (n.d.). In Charlotte 49ers. Retrieved April 3, 2016, from

http://www.charlotte49ers.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=23200&ATCLID=205

265468

Smith, Michael (2013, November 25) “The birth of a program” Sports Business Daily. Retrieved

April 4, 2016 from

http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2013/11/25/Colleges/UNCC-

football.aspx

Spanberg, Erik (2013, June 20) “Charlotte women in business: Judy Rose” Charlotte Business

Journal. Retrieved April 4, 2016 from http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/print-

edition/2013/06/21/charlotte-women-in-business-judy-rose.html

Title IX Frequently Asked Questions (n.d.) In NCAA. Retrieved April 3, 2016 from

http://www.ncaa.org/about/resources/inclusion/title-ix-frequently-asked-questions#title

Valvano Told to Resign as AD. (1989, August 26). Fayetteville Observer. Retrieved April 3,

2016, from http://www.fayobserver.com/news/local/valvano-told-to-resign-as-

ad/article_bec785ed-0c9d-5b8a-ae19-be52f42acc62.html