UW-Parkside Athletics |
As the RangerVision 2020 campaign continues to enhance the Sports & Activity Center, Parkside Athletics has launched an initiative to honor the late Dr. Thomas P. Rosandich.
Rosandich was the first Director of Athletics at UW-Parkside, serving from 1969-72, and was instrumental in launching the original sport programs, creating athletics facilities including the Sports & Activity Center, and hiring head coaches. He passed away from natural causes at the age of 88 on August 29, 2020.
“Tom’s tenure as the Athletic Director at Parkside was a first for both,” said Dr. Rosandich’s son Dr. T.J. Rosandich, President and CEO of the United States Sports Academy. “Just as Tom was the first AD at Parkside, it was the first time he assumed the role of a collegiate director of athletics. While he brought to the table a wealth of knowledge about the world of sports, he personally grew as a sports administrator as he worked to grow the sports programs on the campus. It was an experience that served him well in his subsequent career”.
Grateful family, alumni, and former colleagues are remembering Dr. Tom Rosandich with memorial gifts to Parkside Athletics’ RangerVision 2020 campaign. Our goal is to raise $25,000 to dedicate the Director of Athletics’ office as the Dr. Thomas P. Rosandich Director of Athletics Office.
“Dr. Rosandich left an impactful mark not only at UW-Parkside but on the sports industry worldwide,” said Andrew Gavin, Director of Athletics. “His legacy continues to live on across the globe, and we’re honored to recognize and share his legacy.”
To learn more about the opportunity to honor his legacy at UW-Parkside, please click here: https://www.uwp.edu/giving/rosandich.cfm
While at Parkside, Rosandich developed an athletic program combining intercollegiate, intramural and club sports, with the emphasis on students learning “lifetime sports” which they can enjoy through the years. Rosandich went on to become the Director of Athletics at UW-Milwaukee and referred to his time with the Rangers as “most pleasant and rewarding. You seldom get the chance to put together a total new program and then to implement it, including hiring the whole staff. I consider that at Parkside we gathered one of the finest staffs in the country.”
Following his time at Parkside and UWM, Rosandich became the founding President of The United States Sports Academy in Daphne, Alabama. He served as the Academy’s president and chief executive officer for 43 years until 2015. Learn more about Dr. Rosandich, his career, and the United States Sports Academy.
Please contact Andrew Gavin, Director of Athletics, about gift opportunities for this effort. gavin@uwp.edu l 262-595-2485.