After 21 seasons on the sidelines, John Rosene is retiring from the Knox College football coaching staff. The longtime defensive line coach, and Knox graduate, joined the Prairie Fire staff in 1985 and, other than the 2001 season, has been on the Knox sideline every year since.
"While we all hate to see John retire after 20-plus years as the defensive line coach, we are at the same time very happy for him and celebrate his accomplishments," said Knox head football coach Andy Gibbons. "John had a tremendous impact on more than 20 years of Knox football players. Every former player always asks about John, and that's a testament to what he meant to the program. He has meant so much to so many players and coaches and to me personally. He's a great friend."
Rosene coached four All-Americans (Dan Lanciloti, Brandon Allen, Chris Warwick, Josh Fourdyce) at Knox and numerous all-conference selections. Two Prairie Fire defensive linemen, Gene Ross and Brendan Cameron, earned All-Midwest Conference honorable mention this season. He has also seen four different Knox athletic directors, from Dean Trevor to Chad Eisele.
The relationships Rosene has built over the years made it difficult to announce his retirement.
"Coaching was always about working with the kids," said Rosene. "It was fun to be a part of the students' lives and see them become successful. The hard part is walking away from the kids and the guys on the staff.
"Although it's pretty easy to say I'm retiring now," Rosene joked. "The season is over and there is a foot of snow on the ground."
After earning All-State football honors as a senior at Knoxville High School, Rosene arrived at Knox and played football for coach Harley Knosher. After playing both ways as a running back and defensive back for the freshman team in 1964, Rosene focused on the offensive side of the ball for the varsity team. He led Knox in rushing as both a sophomore and junior, and was voted the Most Valuable Offensive Player as a sophomore for the 1965 team. An injury derailed his senior season.
Rosene earned his Knox degree in political science in 1968 and a master's degree in history from Western Illinois University. He taught at Knoxville High School from 1968 until his retirement in 2001, and is recognized by the State of Illinois as a "Master Teacher." Rosene served as past chairman of the "Gang Awareness Forum." He also served as the director of the College for Kids program at Knox College for more than 10 years. John and his wife Cindy are the parents of two daughters, Laura and Stacey, and one son, Jacob.
Even with his retirement from the Knox coaching staff, Rosene plans to stay busy and has offered his help to Coach Gibbons.
"Andy and I are very close friends and I agreed to continue to help him in any way I can," said Rosene. "It just reached the point where it was time to do other things. I have grandkids that I need to be doing stuff with. I've also been teaching off-and-on at Western Illinois University since 2001 and my role is expanding there, so I won't just be sitting in a rocking chair."
