Penn State women’s volleyball coach Russ Rose announced his retirement on Thursday, marking the end of a 43-year career leading the Nittany Lion program.
The 68-year-old, who retires with the most wins of any NCAA Division I women’s volleyball coach, had previously signed a four-year contract extension in February 2020.
“While I have decided to step into retirement, it has been my pleasure to serve as the head coach of the Penn State women’s volleyball program over the last 43 seasons,” Rose said in a statement. “My time here has provided my family and I many memories and relationships that we will carry with us. I would like to thank the many players, managers and support staff for their dedication, in addition to all of the assistants who helped shape the culture and success of the program.”
Penn State will conduct a national search to find the program’s next coach. For now, Katie Schumacher-Cawley will serve as the team’s interim coach while Rose remains with Penn State Athletics in an advisory role.
“It’s difficult to appropriately capture our appreciation for Russ Rose and his service to our students, Penn State and our women’s volleyball program. We send our heartfelt congratulations to Russ Rose on a phenomenal career at Penn State, and decades of tremendous impact on students, staff and community,” Penn State Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Sandy Barbour said in a statement.
“He has been a mainstay of our community for more than four decades and will long be remembered for raising the profile of women’s volleyball, not just at Penn State but nationally. His legacy will live on through the hundreds of student-athletes who recount what a positive influence he has been on their lives, long after graduation.”
Over his time in Happy Valley, Rose led his program to seven national titles, 17 Big Ten championships, and a 1,330-229 (.853) overall record — easily the most wins and highest winning percentage of any athletic coach in Penn State history. Additionally, Rose’s wins rank first among all Division I coaches.
At Penn State, Rose’s teams never posted fewer than 22 wins in a season outside of last spring’s campaign, which included only 16 regular-season matches. AA Rose-led Nittany Lions team never produced a losing record.
Rose’s teams achieved unprecedented success in the NCAA Tournament. Under his guidance, Penn State is the only program to log an appearance in every postseason tournament since its inception in 1981.
The Nittany Lions captured their first national title in 1999. Beginning in 2007, Rose’s team embarked on a remarkable four year run that included four consecutive national titles and 109 consecutive match wins, the second-longest win streak by a women’s team in Division I history.
The program’s most recent national championships came back-to-back in 2013 and 2014.
Rose, already an AVCA Hall of Famer, has produced 112 All-Americans throughout his Penn State career, including Kaitlyn Hord and Jonni Parker, who were just selected as four-time honorees. He coached at least one All-American in all but two seasons during his tenure in Happy Valley.
“Russ’ student-athletes have consistently been the epitome of the term, succeeding in the classroom, on the court and in the community,” Barbour said. “He truly prepared his student-athletes for a lifetime of impact during his time in the Blue & White. We also want to recognize Russ’ wife, Lori, and the entire Rose family, who played a huge role in the success of Penn State women’s volleyball during Russ’ career. We know we will continue to see Russ and the Rose family in Rec Hall for years to come. There will be a time in the near year where we will properly celebrate Russ’ many accomplishments, but for now, we want to say congratulations and thank you!”
Before arriving at Penn State, Rose graduated from George Williams College in 1975, where he played volleyball and won a national title. He later worked there as a part-time coach before getting his master’s degree at Nebraska, where he helped coach the Cornhuskers. He juggled writing a thesis on volleyball statistics while assisting the team to a 52-5 record over two seasons.
