Judy Rose, this week’s guest on “Sports Legends of the Carolinas,” was a trailblazing athletic director for the UNC Charlotte 49ers for 28 years, before retiring in 2018. Rose was also only the third woman to serve as an AD of a Division I school, and the first to be named to the NCAA Men’s Basketball Committee. Under her leadership, the 49ers won 70 league titles in 14 sports. 
Rose, who was once head coach of the 49ers' women’s basketball and women’s tennis teams, also launched seven new sports at UNC Charlotte, including the addition of a football team in 2013. This interview was conducted in the home she shares with her husband Ken, in the Lake Norman area. In Part 1 of our conversation, Rose looks back at how Title IX changed college sports; her early efforts to recruit for UNC Charlotte's women's basketball team; and tension with male coaches she had to navigate during her time as AD.
On Part 2 of our conversation, Rose reflects on fundraising in the modern era of college sports; name, image and likeness endorsement deals for current athletes; and the hardest change in head coaches she ever had to make. For that, subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts.
Sports Legends of the Carolinas is hosted by Scott Fowler. It's produced by Jeff Siner and Kata Stevens. McClatchy's director of audio is Davin Coburn. For lots more on the show, visit https://www.charlotteobserver.com/sportslegends .
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