Longtime Charlotte 49ers Director of Athletics Judy Rose is among the 2020 induction class for the N.C. Sports Hall of Fame. Inductees will be enshrined during an annual banquet Friday, May 1, at the Raleigh Convention Center.
Rose, athletics director emerita, will be joined by Debbie Antonelli, Muggsy Bogues, Mack Brown, Dennis Craddock, Charles Kernodle, Mac Morris, Trot Nixon, Julius Peppers, Bobby Purcell, Tim Stevens and Donnell Woolford.
One of the nation's most respected directors of athletics, Rose spent 43 years with the Charlotte 49ers Athletics Department, including 28 as athletics director. She became the third female to serve as the athletics director of an NCAA Division I program when she accepted the position in 1990. In 1999-2000, she became the first female to serve on the prestigious NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Committee. She also served as president of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) in 2003-04, was the NACDA Southeast Region Athletics Director of the Year in 2001 and was a finalist for the Sports Business Journal AD of the Year award in 2013.
During her tenure, Rose oversaw more than $100 million of facility expansion and renovations and guided a department that saw 44 NCAA Tournament team appearances and 70 conference titles. In each of her three decades at the helm, a 49ers athletic program reached its "final four": 1996 NCAA Men's Soccer National Semifinals, 2007 NCAA Men's Golf Third-Place Finish and the 2011 NCAA Men's Soccer National Finals.
The 49ers added seven sports under Rose's guidance, including the 49ers football program in 2013. The program took the second-fastest track to the FBS level after spending just two seasons at the FCS level. In fact, Charlotte was invited to join an FBS Conference (Conference USA) before holding its first practice.
The N.C. Sports Hall of Fame was established in 1963. A permanent exhibit, the hall is located on the third floor of the N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh and features significant objects and memorabilia donated by inductees. The museum is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. Admission is free. Ticket information for the banquet is available at www.ncshof.org.