(ATR) Legendary athletics coach Mel Rosen, who led the USA men’s team at the 1987 IAAF World Championships and at the 1992 Olympic Games, has died at age 90.
The 1992 team in Barcelona was one of the most successful in modern Olympic history, winning 20 medals, eight of them gold, and setting three world records. Rosen’s team at Rome in 1987 won 14 medals, seven gold, and swept the relays.
By the time Rosen was chosen as an assistant coach for Team USA for the 1984 Los Angeles Games, he had already enjoyed a storied career as head coach at Auburn University. The Bronx, New York native was hired as an assistant coach in 1955 and became head coach in 1963 when USATF Hall of Famer Wilbur Hutsell retired.
During his 36 years at Auburn, 28 of them as head coach, Rosen coached seven Olympians, eight NCAA champions, 143 NCAA All-Americans and 63 SEC champions. He was inducted into the USATF National Track & Field Hall of Fame in 1995, the first year he was eligible. In 2006, Auburn named its new facility the Hutsell-Rosen Track in his honor.
"I don’t know if there’s anyone that was more liked and well respected in the profession of track and field than Coach Rosen," current Auburn head coach Ralph Spry said in a statement.
"I’m very fortunate to have had the chance to know Mel and share some great experiences with him. Auburn and the entire track and field community lost a great ambassador and friend."
Rosen and his wife Joan were married 57 years before her death in 2014. They had two daughters, Laurie and Karen.
"At Around The Rings, we are particularly grateful to Coach Mel for being the dad of our colleague Karen Rosen," says ATR Editor Ed Hula. "She is a legacy of her father, making her own positive mark on sport as a great journalist. We wish Karen and the family the best."
A "Celebration of Life" service for Rosen is being finalized for April 3.
Written by Gerard Farek
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