Former Purdue, Charlotte, USF coach Lee Rose dies at 85

By STEVE REED
AP Sports Writer

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Lee Rose, who led Purdue and Charlotte to the men’s Final Four, has died. He was 85. UNC Charlotte said he died Tuesday in Charlotte. The school did not provide a cause of death. Rose led the 49ers to 1976 NIT championship game and to the school’s only Final Four in 1977. Rose was 72-18 in three years with Charlotte before leaving to take over at Purdue. He spent just two seasons with the Boilermakers and had a 50-18 record. He took Purdue to the Final Four in 1979. He spent the next six years at South Florida amassing a 106-69 record before becoming an assistant coach in the NBA.