Judy Rose has been named to Conference USA’s second Hall of Fame class. Rose led the 49ers into Conference USA as a charter member in 1995-96 and again in 2013-14, when Charlotte was invited back to the FBS conference thanks to the addition of UNC Charlotte’s football team.
One of the nation's most respected directors of athletics (AD), Rose spent 43 years with the Charlotte 49ers Athletics Department, including 28 as AD. She became the third female to serve as the athletics director of an NCAA Division I program when she accepted the position in 1990.
Rose’s extraordinary career included the greatest era of success and growth enjoyed by the 49ers. During her tenure, she oversaw over $100 million of facility expansion and renovations and guided a department that saw 44 NCAA Tournament team appearances and 70 conference titles.
The 49ers added seven sports under Rose's guidance, including the unveiling of the 49ers football program in 2013. The football program took a fast 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. She developed the 49ers Community Service and NCAA Life Skills programs and Sports Performance and Health Care teams as well as the program's Strength and Conditioning, Compliance, Facilities, Information Technology and Media Production Departments. She expanded the 49ers' academic services, athletic training, marketing, media relations and ticketing departments, partnered with Nike as 49ers' Athletic Apparel provider and branded the university's athletic programs as the Charlotte 49ers.
Rose is the second person to represent the 49ers in the Conference USA Hall of Fame. Last year, Charlotte 49ers all-America goalkeeper Jon Busch, who led the 49ers to the 1996 NCAA College Cup, was inducted as part of the league's inaugural class. That team, which reached the NCAA National Semifinals in Conference USA's second season, became the first C-USA program in any sport to reach the final four.
Both Rose and Busch are members of the 49ers inaugural Hall of Fame class, that was announced in July 1.