Dave Rose, head coach of the Brigham Young University men’s basketball program, and his wife Cheryl will lead the annual BYU Homecoming Parade as grand marshals Saturday, Oct. 9.
“We’re thrilled to be part of Homecoming,” Cheryl Rose says. “We never miss a Homecoming parade. Our family has our own special place to watch it, and we bring muffins. Of course, we won’t be sitting with them this year, but our grandchildren think it’s the coolest thing ever that they get to see us in the parade.”
The parade will begin at 10 a.m. at the Marriott Center east parking lot, travel down 900 East, capture the south of campus along 800 North and pass Brick Oven.
Dave Rose will also speak at the Opening Ceremonies Tuesday, Oct. 5 at 11:05 a.m. in the Marriott Center.
The Roses met at Dixie College where he played basketball and she was a Rebelette, Dixie’s equivalent of Cougarettes. Both are avid sports fans, and their idea of an ideal date is watching high school basketball.
“I’ll watch a game even if Dave isn’t at home,” Cheryl Rose says. “If I have a choice of a movie or a high school game, I’ll pick the game every time.”
Dave Rose became BYU’s basketball head coach in 2005 and has led the cougars to many on-the-court awards. His record — 127-40 — is impressive. Among the 40-plus coaches who began a collegiate program in 2005, Rose has the best winning percentage and the most wins.
In 2007 and 2008 his guidance led the Cougars to win the MWC's first two-time outright league championships while adding to the streak with a share of the regular season title in 2009 to make it three-consecutive.
The Roses’ lives took on a new perspective in 2009 when he was diagnosed with pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor cancer. Emergency surgery removed the tumor, and since, then no other cancer has been found.
“All his scans have come out clean,” says Cheryl Rose, “ but we don’t take anything for granted and we appreciate every day. When I watch a game, I’m one of those who scream at the television. I still love the game — and I hate it when we lose a game — but I know Dave and our family are what really matters.”
Dave Rose has been recognized for his excellence off the court. The National Association of Basketball Coaches, for example, awarded Rose its Game Pillar Award for Service in 2008. That same year he received the Dale Rex Memorial Award, which is given each year to the person who has done the most for amateur athletics in Utah.
For more information, visit homecoming.byu.edu.
Writer: Charlene Winters
