Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference

DeRose RMAC Hall of Fame Video

As a football player, DeRose is the CSU-Pueblo (formerly University of Southern Colorado) 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.