Chuck Rohe (2002) - Southern Miss M-Club Hall of Fame

Chuck Rohe

Induction:
2002

Chuck Rohe was a key member of the Southern Miss track and field squads during the 1952 and 1953 and even was a walk-on member of the football team in 1951.
   Following his graduation from Southern Miss he became a very successful track coach at Hattiesburg High School, where he won two state championships. He also went on to serve as assistant football coach and head track coach at Furman from 1958 to 1962. Head track coach and Director of Football Recruiting at Tennessee from 1962 to 1971, Director of Athletic Administration and Recruiting at Virginia Tech in 1971-72 and general manager of the Houston Texans of the World Football League in 1972.
   While at the University of Tennessee he compiled 21 consecutive Southeastern Conference championships in cross country and indoor and outdoor track. As head football coach Doug Dickey’s Director of Football Recruiting the Volunteers had the nation’s best record over that seven-year period and appeared in seven straight post-season bowl games.
    Rohe was the United States Track and Field Coach of the Year in 1967 and served as the NCAA representative on the United States Olympic Committee from 1968 to 1976.
   Rohe also serves as the national Director of the Nike Coach of the Year Clinics, which attract more than 10,000 football coaches to nearly 20 sites across the country.
    Following his stint as general manager he was President of Rohe & Associates and Vice President of Pace Management Corporation in Houston. At Pace, Rohe was involved in everything from the Rolling Stones 1981 tour, the Texas World Music Festival, the USA/USSR Indoor Track meet, the New Orleans Superdome Grand opening and many closed circuit boxing telecasts.
   Rohe succeeded Charlie McClendon as executive director of Florida Citrus Bowl Sports in June of 1982. Under his tenure, the Bowl has taken such major steps in growth and prestige as adding corporate sponsorships from the Florida department of Citrus and CompUSA, a New Year’s Day date with ABC-Sports, the transformation of the Florida Citrus Stadium into a world class facility with a capacity of more than 70,000 and an agreement matching the Big Ten runner-up or co-champion against the best team in the SEC not playing in the Bowl Championship series.
   The Florida Citrus Sports calendar has increased dramatically with more than 40 events throughout the year during Rohe’s tenure including the all-star gridiron classic, the Florida Classic, regular season college football games featuring Florida and Florida State against national opponents and NFL exhibition games. Florida Citrus Sports has hosted international soccer competition in conjunction with the 1994 World Cup, the 1996 Olympic Games and other matches featuring the United States men’s and women’s national teams.