Mount Olive Hall of Fame calls Rose

By MOC Sports Information
Published in Sports on November 15, 2006 1:48 PM

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This year's Mount Olive Alumni Weekend and Pickle Classic festivities will include a new addition as the inaugural Mount Olive College Athletics Hall of Fame Class will be inducted. The induction ceremony will take place Saturday at 1 p.m. in the Hennessee Room in the Lois K. Murphy Regional Center on the school campus.

The inaugural class is comprised of Kenney Moore, Larry Nance, Clarence Rose, Ray Scarborough and Russell Stephens. As part of the Pickle Classic Countdown, an inductee will be profiled.

Today's profile: Clarence Rose '78.

Clarence Rose, who attended Mount Olive from 1976-78, performed a golf "triple crown" of sorts: Junior College All-American, NCAA Division I All-American and PGA Champion.

In Rose's two years at Mount Olive, he and the Trojan men's golf team made school history. After posting a perfect 13-0 regular season record in 1977, Mount Olive went a couple steps further the following year. The Trojans won the Eastern Tarheel Conference regular season and tournament championships, as well as the Region 10 Tournament.

A two-time All-Conference and All-Region selection. Rose became Mount Olive's first-ever All-American in his sophomore year. Rose was named to the 1978 National Junior College All-American First Team.

After his two years at Mount Olive, Rose enjoyed continued success at Clemson University. Rose earned All-Atlantic Coast Conference honors in each of his two years at Clemson, and in 1980, he became the Tigers' first-ever men's golf All-American.

Rose was named to the ACC 50th Anniversary Men's Golf Team in 2003. In 2004, Rose was inducted into the Clemson University Athletics Hall of Fame.

Rose joined the PGA Tour in 1981 on his first attempt. Rose amassed over $2.5 million in prize winnings on the PGA Tour. He won the 1996 Sprint International and teamed with LPGA pro Amy Fruhwirth to win the 1997 J.C. Penney Classic. Rose also compiled seven second-place finishes on the PGA Tour.

A native of Goldsboro, Rose founded the Clarence rose Foundation to help needy children in Wayne County.