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Mark Rosewell has spent over half his life on the tennis courts, and yesterday he was acknowledged for it.
Rosewell, the head coach of the men and women's tennis teams at Northwest for 25 years, was inducted into the United States Tennis Association, Heart of America District Hall of Fame.
"When I first learned about it, I thought, 'well that's nice,'" Rosewell said. "As I learned more about it … that's the USTA and that's a very fine organization. This is really a big deal and it really caught me by surprise because most of the time you go into the hall of fame after you retire, but I think they liked my credentials."
Rosewell's life on the college courts started in 1974 at the University of Central Missouri where he played until 1977. Throughout his three-year span as an athlete, he compiled the team's best winning percentage throughout the 1970s.
He then came back to Central Missouri to be head coach of the men and women's tennis teams from 1983-1984.
After the 1984 season, a fraternity brother, John Byrd, contacted Rosewell. Byrd had been head coach at Northwest from 1970-1984, and when he was looking to retire, he turned to Rosewell, a man he knew would continue the strong tennis tradition he created.
In 1985, Rosewell took over the head coaching position at Northwest and has kept the winning tradition Byrd started alive.
Between the men and women's team, Rosewell carries a combined record of 759-344, making him the winningest coach in Northwest history in any sport.
Under his watch, the men and women's teams have won 16 MIAA championships, another Northwest record, and made 21 appearances in the NCAA regionals.
"His dedication to tennis is what makes him so successful," former player Gena Lindsay said. "He is always watching players from all different levels of the game. He is one of those people that will go out of his way to make and appearance at an event to help improve the public relations of the Northwest tennis teams."
When Lindsay was at Northwest she was chosen First Team All-MIAA in 2004, 2005 and 2006, along with being the MIAA's Most Valuable Player in 2005. Lindsay's name can be found all over the Northwest record books.
Lindsay said Rosewell is a "master at recruiting," and that is the main reason he has been successful at Northwest. His dedication to tennis keeps him watching players at all different levels, making sure he brings the people with the best personalities and abilities to join the Northwest "family" he has created, Lindsay said.
The "family" Rosewell has created is what keeps Jake Saulsbury around. Saulsbury was also acknowledged with First Team All-MIAA honors multiple times. After graduating in 2008, he returned to Northwest helping Rosewell as a graduate assistant.
"This isn't just a job for him," Saulsbury said. "He really, honestly has created a family. It's like all of his players are his kids, and he shows them all a special kind of love regardless if you are in a number one spot or if you are a number eight. He makes us feel like we are all a part of the team, and we all contribute something. Between the great success he has had and his dedication, he definitely deserves to be in the Hall of Fame."
Rosewell enjoys winning conference championships and said, "it definitely never gets old," but thinks his greatest achievements as coach have been through his players.
"The players coming in, getting better, graduating, the camaraderie … really, that's what means the most to me," Rosewell said. "The friendships that we've created, the good times. This is such a fine school. It's all a positive."
It's that type of attitude that has this fun loving coach teaching his athletes both things on and off the court.
"The greatest thing coach (Rosewell) has ever taught me is loyalty," Saulsbury said. "I have been in this program five years now, four as a player, and now I'm a graduate assistant. I don't think you'll ever meet a more loyal person and as a player you can't help but learn from that and carry it into your own life."
When talking to Rosewell, it's easy to see his passion for the game runs deep, but he admits he has had a few challenges along the way.
The biggest challenge has confronted is making his team known on a campus, like many others, where football and basketball are king.
He understands tennis is not exactly a spectator sport and matches do last long, but said getting fans at a match over the years has been like "pulling teeth."
Bringing the Intercollegiate Tennis Association tournament to Northwest has been a huge help with promotion for the tennis team. Rosewell's efforts have brought the ITA tournament here 17 times.
After 25 years of coaching and an open-heart surgery, 53-year old Rosewell still hasn't had enough.
"I got into coaching when I was 23," Rosewell said. "Honestly, I was too young to be coaching. I thought I knew it all; I really didn't know anything. I feel like as long as my health stays good, I will stay coaching. If my health were to go south, I'd probably have to step away."
When looking at Rosewell's resume and talking to players whose lives he has affected it's easy to see it's the relationships Rosewell has developed he cherishes the most.
"Rosewell taught us more than tennis," Lindsay said. "He taught us life lessons. The most important thing he taught me was never to quit. Whenever I was down in a match he'd come out and say, 'come on you can do this.' That is a lesson that have taken off the courts and applied to life, never give up."
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