Rosewell's remarkable run continues with Missouri Sports Hall of Fame nod

Northwest Missouri State University tennis head coach Mark “Rosie” Rosewell was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame during a Nov. 23 enshrinement ceremony held at the InterContinental in Kansas City, Missouri.

Rosewell is no stranger to these high honors. He is also a member of the USTA Missouri Valley Hall of Fame (Class of 2015) and USTA Heart of America Hall of Fame (Class of 2008). Add to that the Lexington High School Hall of Fame, where he was inducted for his tennis, baseball and wrestling contributions.

“It feels fantastic, with all the great players over the last 40 years that helped me get into the Hall of Fame,” he said. “I think it’s one of the best awards you can receive, and I’m grateful for it.”

Rosewell has played tennis most of his life, competing in high school then in college at the University of Central Missouri, where he held the best winning percentage for the 1970s. After playing for the Mules for four years, he became a tennis graduate assistant for his alma mater, then head coach, before joining Northwest Missouri State in 1984.

In his decades of coaching men’s and women’s college tennis, Rosewell has amassed an incredible resume. He has more than 1,200 victories in 41 seasons as head coach at Northwest Missouri State—the most of any coach in any sport at the school.

Under his tutelage, the Bearcats have won a cumulative 30 Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) regular-season championships, 10 MIAA tournament championships and played in 45 NCAA Division II tournaments in men’s and women’s tennis. He is also a seven-time Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Regional Coach of the Year.

Rosewell said some of his favorite memories as head coach include: “Winning MIAA championships and going to numerous national tournaments; playing ranked teams and playing our home matches in Maryville; winning eight MIAA championships with both men and women over a span of five decades.”