Rose, last head coach to take Purdue to Final Four dies

Nell Redmond/AP

FILE - Lee Rose, who coached the University of North Carolina-Charlotte basketball team that played in the 1977 Final Four college basketball tournament, shows some of the memorabilia from his coaching days, at his home office in Charlotte, N.C., on Feb. 13, 2007. Rose, a former men’s college basketball coach who led Purdue and Charlotte to the Final Four, died Tuesday, April 5, 2022, in Charlotte. He was 85. The school did not provide a cause of death. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond, File)

By: James Howell Jr.

INDIANAPOLIS — Former Purdue basketball coach Lee Rose has died, according to the Charlotte 49ers athletic department.

Rose was the coach of the 1980 Boilermakers squad. This was the last Purdue men’s basketball team to reach the Final Four.

In two seasons at Purdue, Rose led the Boilermakers to a 50-18 record, an NIT runner-up finish and a third-place finish in the NCAA Tournament Final Four.

Following his two-year stint at Purdue, Rose went on to coach the University of South Florida. He finished his head coaching career in 1986 with a 388-162 career record.

Rose is a member of the Charlotte 49ers hall of fame.

Rose was 85 years old at the time of his death this week.