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Posted December 15, 2011

DeRose selected for RMAC Hall of Fame

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. --- December 15, 2011 -- Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) commissioner Joel R. Smith has announced that six individuals and two teams will be inducted into the 2012 RMAC Hall of Fame.

Dan DeRose (CSU-Pueblo), Mike Dunlap (Metro State), Dan Fix (Colorado Mines), Devon Herron (Metro State), Julie Jenkins-Donley (Adams State) and Pat Porter (Adams State) are the individual honorees. In addition, the 1985 Adams State women’s indoor track & field and the 1986 Western State men’s cross country teams will be inducted.

The tenth annual Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Hall of Fame ceremony will be on Friday, July 20, at the Colorado Springs Marriott hotel. Social hour begins at 5 p.m. (MDT), followed by dinner at 6 p.m. and the banquet at 7 p.m. More information, including cost of the dinner and room rates, will be available in the near future. In addition to the Hall of Fame, the 2011-12 Coaches of the Year will be recognized along with Honor Student-Athletes.

The 2012 RMAC Hall of Fame class was chosen by a committee comprised of Patti Arnold (Grand Junction Daily Sentinel), Eric Danner (RMAC), Marv Kay (Colorado Mines), Todd Kelly (CSU-Pueblo), Con Marshall (Chadron State), Joan McDermott (Metro State), Sarah Meier (RMAC), Larry Mortensen (Adams State) and Smith (RMAC).

DeRose was a football and track athlete at CSU-Pueblo (then-University of Southern Colorado) from 1981 to 1984, then went on to become Athletic Director from 1991 to 1996.
As a football player, DeRose is the CSU-Pueblo career leader in tackles (415), career assisted tackles (255) and holds the CSUP single season record in assisted tackles (91). DeRose also owns the record for longest fumble return for a touchdown (69 yards). He was a two-time all-RMAC selection (first team in 1983) and was selected as a member of the RMAC Football All-Century Team. DeRose was selected as an Academic All-American by CoSIDA in 1983. As a track & field athlete, he set the school record in the shot put (54’0”). Post CSU-Pueblo, he signed as a free agent with the Denver Broncos in 1984 and played for three games with the New York Giants in 1987.

Under DeRose’s leadership as athletic director at CSU-Pueblo (then the University of Southern Colorado) from 1991-96, baseball returned to the University after a nine-year hiatus, plus women’s soccer and softball were added as programs. The Rawlings Sports Complex was also built, becoming home of the baseball, softball and soccer programs. In 1994, DeRose was named the NAADD Fund Raiser of the Year after raising more than $1.5 million for the athletics program.

He helped to form “The Friends of Football”, a group that was instrumental in CSU-Pueblo bringing back football in 2007, raising over $13 million to fund the building of the Neta and Eddie DeRose ThunderBowl, named after his parents. Support dollars also helped CSU-Pueblo bring back women’s track & field and wrestling. In 2009, DeRose was named the NAADD Donor of the Year.

Bios of the rest of the 2012 RMAC Hall of Fame inductees can be found here.

DeRose will become the second RMAC Hall of Fame inductee with CSU-Pueblo ties, joining former men's basketball coach and athletic director, Harry "The Chief" Simmons.