Lee Rose, who helped support his Eastern Kentucky family from a young age, arrived at Transylvania University on the school’s first full athletic scholarship. It was the springboard for a remarkable life that led to coaching in the NBA and multiple Final Fours — along with touching the lives of thousands of young people.
Now his legacy is opening doors for Pioneers facing obstacles similar to those he overcame. His family has established the Coach Lee Rose Foundation, which provides scholarships for first-generation students.
The foundation has its roots in a project that began more than two decades ago when Rose and his wife Eleanor Lollis Rose ’61 embarked on a tour of about 50 middle schools in Kentucky’s Fifth Congressional District. The inspiration came from a New York Times series on “Class in America” that featured Della Mae Justice, a woman from Pikeville who overcame a childhood marked by poverty and instability, earned a law degree from the University of Kentucky and built a successful career — yet still felt she “never fit” in professional circles. The story struck the Roses deeply, Eleanor Rose said. Her husband wanted to give back to the mountain communities that had shaped him.
While Lee Rose was still coaching in the NBA, he and his wife spent six years speaking to more than 10,000 students; they drove long distances to reach remote schools, sometimes through snowstorms. His message was consistent: Stay in school. He urged them to develop what he called the “three Cs”: confidence, contacts and choices. “You’ve got to have confidence,” Eleanor said he told the students. “Then you have to have contacts … and those two things enable you to have choices.” He once mentioned to his wife that talking with these youths was the best work he ever did.
After coach Rose’s death at 85 in 2022, Eleanor and their sons Mike and Mark created the foundation. Their first priority was establishing the scholarship fund for first-generation college students — ones the Roses had hoped to reach during those school visits. The foundation has made Transylvania a central focus of its giving, building on the Roses’ long-standing personal support of the university connected to their hearts and souls.
As a basketball Pioneer, Rose scored over 1,000 career points. He returned as interim head coach for the 1964-65 season after graduation, later serving as the permanent coach and athletic director from 1968-75, compiling a 160-57 record.
“Coach Rose helped shape Transylvania basketball in so many ways,” said current coach Brian Lane ’90. “Coach Rose ushered Transylvania into the world of big-time college basketball. When he returned as head coach, he continued to build on the strong foundation that coach Newton started, and he took the Pioneers to new heights nationally. He was a big dreamer, and the program exploded under his guidance.”
Rose went on to lead UNC Charlotte and Purdue to NCAA Final Fours and earn National Coach of the Year honors in 1977. He also served as an assistant coach and personnel director for multiple NBA teams over more than two decades.
The foundation carrying Rose’s legacy forward
Created as a nonprofit to carry forward Rose’s commitment to underserved youth, his foundation is based in Charlotte, North Carolina. It focuses on three core areas:
- Education: From early childhood programs like The Learning Collaborative to the first-generation scholarships
- Athletics: Funding camps, uniforms, equipment and programs that teach discipline, teamwork and resilience
- Accessibility: Providing wheelchairs (200 donated globally through Joni and Friends), adaptive vehicles and other resources
Support has already surpassed $200,000, with more than $60,000 awarded in scholarships, $32,500 to Title I high schools and over $100,000 to initiatives for people with disabilities. At Transylvania, the foundation provides an annual $10,000 scholarship, which has so far benefited two students: a recent graduate and rising senior.
The foundation’s next major event is its Annual Gala on Oct. 15 in Charlotte. The sold-out evening will feature basketball legends; scholar stories; a keynote by Eugene Robinson, who is an NFL veteran and Super Bowl champion; live music by Grammy-nominated Jeffrey Steele; and auctions to support all three program areas.
The foundation honors Rose’s own story as a first-generation student who turned his education into a lifetime of impact. Transylvania gave him his start — now the foundation is helping ensure the university can do the same for current and future Pioneers. Rose’s journey — from a fatherless boy in the coal-mining hills to a Hall of Fame coach who led teams to the highest levels of college and professional basketball — stands as powerful proof that one opportunity can change everything.
