An outstanding coach during his 28 years as head coach at Auburn University, Melvin "Mel" Rosen was also a noted international coach in both Olympic Games and World Championship competition. He was an assistant coach of the 1984 Olympic team and became head coach with the 1992 team. He also was head coach of the 1987 World Outdoor Championship team. A 1950 graduate of the University of Iowa, Rosen coached there as an assistant for three years before moving to Auburn in 1955. He became the school's second head coach in 1963 and went on to produce one of the top collegiate coaching records in the nation. At Auburn, he coached seven Olympians and 143 All-Americans. In 1978, he was NCAA Coach of the Year, both indoors and outdoors. He repeated as NCAA Indoor Coach of the Year in 1980. From 1977 to 1980, his teams won four-straight Southeastern Conference indoor titles. He was active in USA Track & Field, serving as men's track and field committee chairman and receiving the 1994 Robert Giegengack Award for outstanding service to the organization. In 1993, Rosen was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame.
Coach