Dee Rowe (1929-2021)
Teams coached: Connecticut Huskies
Connecticut record: 120-88 (.577)
Overall record: 120-88 (.577)
Career Accomplishments:
- NCAA National Championships: 0
- NCAA Tournament Appearances: 1 (1976)
- NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen: 1 (1976)
- NCAA Tournament Final Four: 0
- NIT Championships: 0
- NIT Appearances: 2 (1974, 1975)
- Yankee Regular Season Champion: 1 (1970)
Coaching Career (head coach, unless noted):
1969-1977 | Connecticut |
Dee Rowe Facts
- Donald Rowe
- Born January 20, 1929
- Died January 10, 2021
- Hometown: Worcester, Massachusetts
- Alma Mater: Middlebury College (BA, 1952) / Boston University (MA, 1953)
- Graduated from Worcester Academy (MA) and Middlebury College (VT) and then served in the US Army
- Returned to Worcester Academy in 1955 to be the AD and head boys’ basketball coach
- Turned the school into a powerhouse, winning the New England Prep School Championship nine times
- Hired in 1969 to be the head coach at Connecticut, then members of the Yankee Conference
- Went 120-88 in eight years at the helm and won the 1970 Yankee title
- Appeared in the NIT twice (1974, 1975) and reach the NCAA Sweet Sixteen in 1976
- Despite stepping away from coaching in 1977, Rowe remained involved at both UConn and Worcester Academy
- Worked in fundraising for 13 years at UConn, helping build the Gampel Pavilion on campus
- Has had his name displayed among the Huskies of Honor inside Gampel since 2007
- Was to be an assistant coach for Team USA at the 1980 Olympics, but the country boycotted the games
- Rowe later attended the 2012 Olympics as an ambassador alongside Geno Auriemma, the women’s head coach at UConn who was coaching the women’s Team USA
- Passed away in January 2021 at the age of 91; preceded in death by his wife, Ginny, with whom he had 7 children and 17 grandchildren
Dee Rowe Coaching Tree
- Dom Perno (Connecticut)
- Art Perry (American, Delaware State)
- Bob Staak (Wake Forest, Xavier)
- Jim Valvano (NC State, Iona, Bucknell)
- Dennis Wolff (Boston University, Connecticut College)