Rick LaRose retired as Director of Golf and Head Golf Coach at the University of Arizona in July of 2012 after four decades setting and maintaining a championship standard for both golf programs that made him the only coach in the history of Division I college golf to lead men’s and women’s programs to national championships. His hall of fame tenure with the Wildcats included a men’s golf national championship in 1992 and a women’s national title in 1996 while claiming the 2000 women’s golf national championship as Director of Golf. La Rose coached Arizona Men’s Golf to 21 consecutive appearances at the NCAA Championships, which was the second longest streak in NCAA history.
A member of the 2003 class of the Golf Coaches Association Hall of Fame, LaRose was also inducted into the University of Arizona Sports Hall of Fame, the state of Arizona Golf Hall of Fame, Pima County Sports Hall of Fame as well as the Brockport State University Athletic Hall of Fame where he competed as a student-athlete in swimming, golf and cross country. He was also inducted into the Bethlehem Central High School Hall of Fame in October 2014.
Under his direction as Director of Golf and Head Golf Coach, Arizona golf teams won three NCAA National Championships (two as Head Coach and one as Director of Golf) in addition to and nine non-NCAA Championships (4 Men and 2 Women) and a trio of National Match Play Championships. His teams won 10 NCAA Regional Championships, eight Pac-10 Conference Championships, and 4 NCAA Pre-Season Championships. His men’s teams qualified for the NCAA Championship finals 22 times and the NCAA Championships 23 total times. His women’s teams qualified for NCAA’s in every year he was involved with program finishing in the top three at the NCAA Championships five times. LaRose is also the only coach in history to have ever won the Men’s and Women’s NCAA Rolex National Match Play Championships as well as being the only coach who has ever won both the Men’s and Women’s Pac 12 Conference Championships and Men’s and Women’s NCAA Regional Championships.
Under his tutelage, Arizona’s men’s golf teams have been ranked in the top 20 nationally 29 times with 12 consecutive years being ranked in the top 5 and have been ranked No. 1 nationally 13 different times. He is the only collegiate golf coach to ever have his men’s team women’s team ranked #1 in the country at the same time. His teams were never ranked out of the top 25 nationally. His women’s teams were never ranked out of the top 5 nationally, with 5 years ranked #1 nationally. He has accumulated 6,197 head-to-head wins in NCAA Division I competition, which included LaRose’s tenure as a water polo coach.
Coach LaRose began coaching at the University of Arizona in 1973-74 as Head Water Polo Coach and Assistant Swimming Coach. Coach LaRose coached four different athletic teams at the University of Arizona during his tenure. All of these teams have been ranked in the top five nationally and all the at the highest competitive level. Coach LaRose is recognized as one of the great program builders in intercollegiate sports. In 1973-74 Coach Larose began the intercollegiate water polo program at the University of Arizona and developed a program that was one the elite national programs. Along with Coach Bob Davis, he also helped take a struggling Arizona swim program and turn it into a top national power. Each year since 1979 his water polo teams come back to Tucson for a reunion and spend time with Coach LaRose. In 1999 many of his 1976 water polo team, still playing together, won 40 and over World Championship. In 2009 won 50 and over World Championship and in 2019 won the 60 and over World Championship in Japan. His record as head coach of Arizona’s Water Polo program included 4 NCAA Regional Championships and four 5
th place finishes in the NCAA Championships. His teams were never ranked out of the top six nationally and produced five NCAA All Americans and one United States Olympian. His record as water polo coach was 154-37-2. As a swimming coach at the University of Arizona, Southern California Aquatic Club, Foothill HS and Tustin HS, Coach LaRose, helped produce six United States Olympians, 20 NCAA All-Americans and one National Champion.
In 1978, Coach LaRose took over the men’s golf program that had not competed at the national level since 1960 and developed one of the strongest national powers in golf for 36 years. He took on the position of Director of Golf in 1994 and took a women’s gold program which was floundering and unranked and produced one of the most successful national women’s teams in the nation for over 25 years.
His finishes at the NCAA Championships not only include the men’s and women’s national titles but also six 3
rd places, two 5
th places, three 6
th places. Since 1978 the Wildcats and Coach LaRose have won 57 men’s tournament championships and 27 women’s championships, produced 78 All Americans, 119 All-Pac 10 Conference players, two United States Amateur Champions and four runners-ups, six United States Walker Cup players, three United States Publinx Champions, nine Pac-10 Conference Champions, eight National Players of the Year, 10 Pac-10 Players of the Year, five Palmer Cup Players, and a United States Curtis Cup player. Furthermore, LaRose has coached 23 individual players who have represented the United States in International competition, 25 international players who have represented their countries in world competition and 75 individual tournament champions. His players have won the Fred Haskins Award (Robert Gamez), the Ben Hogan Award (Ricky Barnes), Jack Nicklaus Award (Marisa Baena, Chris Nallen), the Updegraff Award (Trev Anderson), the Honda Award (Marissa Baena), the Jackie Robinson Award (Fred Chew) and the Walter Byers Award (Trev Anderson).
Coach LaRose has coached 15 players who have either won a USGA Championship or had made it the finals of a USGA Championship as well as 18 individuals from the sports of water polo, swimming, men’s and women’s golf have been inducted into the University of Arizona Athletic Hall of Fame. His development of golfers into professionals boasts 100 players playing professional golf or in the golf profession as head. LaRose’s teams held NCAA Championship records for the lowest winning team score (1992), the lowest individual round score (1989), the lowest team round score (2000), the lowest nine-hole score (2001) and the lowest two round score (2001). His men’s and women’s teams Arizona were undefeated in Territorial Cup competition against Arizona State with his men’s golf team clinching the first two cups for the Wildcats and his women’s golf team clinching the 2012 Cup for Arizona.
Coach LaRose has worked with numerous top players and is recognized as one of the best coaches in the country for preparing his players for a professional career, either as a professional player or as a club professional. PGA champion and icon Jim Furyk, a member of Arizona’s 1992 national championship team, said “Coach LaRose prepares you to think and attack a course to achieve consistent and winning results. He develops in you such a degree of competitive spirit, confidence and attitude which allows you to succeed.”
“Coach LaRose has a great knowledge of the game and knows how to prepare you both mentally and physically to perform and get to the new level,” said LPGA Hall of Famer and former Wildcat Annika Sorenstam.
Rick Rielly, Head PGA Professional at Wilshire Country Club in Los Angeles says about Coach LaRose, “He prepares to get out into the real world of golf and business. You will certainly learn to travel, play and handle yourself in the world of golf on and off the course”
“Coach is a competitor and expects and molds his players to be competitors too. He knows what it takes to be successful and the lessons he teaches last a lifetime,” said former Wildcat and PGA professional Ricky Barnes.
PGA Tour player and Olympic Silver Medalist, Rory Sabbatini, adds this, “Coach LaRose wants you to succeed and pushes you to expect more from yourself. He expects you to set high goals and develops in you a sense of pride of accomplishment. He never lets you become complacent or satisfied with less than your best.”
PGA Tour fixture David Berganio says, “Coach cares about his players on and off the course, he makes you family forever.”
“Coach LaRose and his University of Arizona program have made an impact on players throughout the world,” said former PGA player Ted Purdy.
Natalie Gulbis says, “Coach really knows what he is doing. He is someone who I have complete confidence in.”
Former Wildcat and LPGA legend Lorena Ochoa on LaRose, “Coach is terrific and provides you with the experience to be successful at the new level. He is always there for you.”
Many of the golfers he has coach have had great careers on the Asian Tour, the Japanese PGA Tour, the European PGA Tour, the Australian PGA Tour and the Canadian PGA Tour. For a period of ten consecutive years the University of Arizona Men’s and Women’s alums won the mythical total earning title on the PGA and LPGA Tours. Former Player John Lindert was elected
President of the PGA of American in 2002. LaRose has also caddied for many of his former players in PGA Tour events, LPGA events, USGA events and the Masters.
LaRose’s former players have won 13 United States Golf Association Championships: U.S. Amateur (Eric Meeks, Ricky Barnes), U.S. Open: (Jim Fuyk), U.S. Women’s Open: (Annika Sorenstam – three times), U.S. Senior Open: (Don Pooley and Jim Furyk), U.S. Publinx: (David Berganio – twice), U.S. Women’s Publinx: (Heather Graff), U.S. Junior: (Henry Liaw). During Coach LaRose’s tenure his players have also been runner-up in five USGA Championships; U.S. Amateur: (Manny Zerman – twice), U.S. Senior Open (Jim Furyk), U.S. Senior Women’s Open: (Annika Sorenstam), U.S. Women’s Amateur; (Laura Meyerscough Ianello), U.S. Women’s Amateur: Marisa Baena). U.S. Publinks (David McDaniel). Wildcat players have also captured four Canadian Open Championships (Jim Furyk – twice, Annika Sorenstam, Lorena Ochoa), four Women’s British Open Championships (Annika Sorenstam – three times, Lorena Ochoa once), four LPGA Championships (Annika Sorenstam – three times and Christa Johnson, once).
In 2021, Rory Sabbatini captured the 2020 Olympic Silver Medal for golf. In 2010, Jim Furyk captured the PGA Tour Championship and the Fed Ex Cup. Furyk won 18 tournaments on the PGA tour before beginning a successful career on the Champions Tour. University of Arizona players on the PGA and LPGA Tour won the combined money titles on both tours for 10 consecutive years. Coach LaRose has caddied in four Master’s Tournaments at Augusta National for his amateur players Eric Meeks, Manny Zerman, Robert Gamez, and David Berganio. Coach LaRose’s former players have also excelled in the coaching ranks such as Laura Ianello (Head Women’s Golf Coach, University of Arizona), Justin Silverstein (Head Women’s Golf Coach, University of Southern California), Tom Brill (Head Men’s and Women’s Golf Coach, Boise State University), John Knauer (former Head Men’s Golf Coach, University of Texas San Antonio), Peter Ireland (Head Coach, University of Delaware), Dylan Kornberg (former Assistant Coach, University of Arizona), and Chris Nallen (Former Assistant Men’s Golf Coach, University of Arizona). Both Laura and Justin have won NCAA National Championships at their institutions as head coaches.
Coach LaRose’s players have also exceled in the classroom as his students have achieved 175 Golden Eagle Academic Achievement Awards, 14 All American Scholar Awards, a Rhodes Scholarship candidate, a Jackie Robinson Foundation Award winner, a Walter Beyers NCAA Post Graduate Scholarship, seven top Student-Athlete of the Year Academic Awards, 33 Pac-10, Pac 12 Academic Award winners, five ROLEX National Achievement Award nominees, an NCAA Public Recognition Award for academic excellence and a graduation rate of over 85%.
His women’s teams have had the highest GPA of all University of Arizona athletic teams during his time as their coach and the men’s team the highest GPA of all men’s teams on numerous occasions. Coach LaRose has produced three Honda Award winners for the NCAA’s Outstanding Female Athlete of the Year in gold. Arizona golfer Trev Anderson also received the Updegraff Award from the Arizona Golf Association. Annika Sorenstam and Lorena Ochoa both received the Bobby Jones Award from the United States Golf Association. Annika and Lorena are both in the World Golf Hall of Fame. Jim Furyk, the 2018 United States Ryder Cup Captain and 2017 Payne Stewart Award winner, is also bound for the World Golf Hall of Fame.
Coach LaRose was selected as the Golfweek Men’s NCAA National Coach of the Year in 1992 and the Golfweek Women’s NCAA National Coach of the Year in 1996, the NCAA District #8 Men’s Golf Coach of the Year four times, 1996 NCAA Far West Women’s Coach of the Year and the Pac-10 Conference Coach of the Year four times (3 men, 1 women). He is the only coach to have ever been National Coach of the Year and Pac-10 Conference Coach for both men’s and women’s teams. He was also the NCAA Water Polo Coach of the Year in 1977 and four-time NCAA District #7 Water Polo Coach of the Year. Three times he has served as NCAA East-West Coach at both the Men’s and Women’s NCAA Championships (2 men, 1 women). Coach LaRose has also served as the Head Coach for fifteen United States Teams in International competitions including the 2001 US-Japan Matches in Tokyo in which Team USA defeated Team Japan 25-11 and the 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2023 United States Teams at the Australian Master of the Amateurs. His U.S. Teams have won the Australian Master of the Amateurs World Cup 8 times, in 2009, 2012, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, and 2023. Players on these U.S. Teams have included PGA, LPGA, and Walker Cup players including Ricky Barnes, Natalie Gulbis, Stacey Pramansudh, Hunter Mahan, Nick Watney, Rickie Fowler, Russell Henley, Bud Cauley, Mark Anderson, Morgan Hoffmann, Derek Ernst, Patrick Rodgers, Jordan Niebrugge, Brandon Hagy, Bahvik Patel, Erik Flores, Adam Mitchell, Cameron Wilson, Jordan Russell, Bryson DeChambeau, Brain Campbell, Will Zalatoris, Aaron Wise, Matt NeSmith, Dylan Meyer, Nick Hardy, Matt Wolff, Justin Suh, Ricky Castillo, Quade Cummins, Nick Gabrelcik, Dylan Menante, and Rob Oppenhiem.
LaRose is a native of Delmar, New York and graduated from Bethlehem Central High School where he lettered in swimming, football, baseball, and golf. Growing up in Delmar he was a Little League and Babe Ruth League All Star. He was the home run leader in both baseball leagues. He was an Eagle Scout, inducted into the Order of the Arrow and Boy Scout Troop leader. While in Delmar he worked as the Recreation Supervisor for the Town of Bethlehem, a lifeguard, on the greens staff at Albany Country Club, a camp counselor, and owner partner of a painting contracting company. Coach LaRose attended SUNY Brockport, Brockport, New York graduating with a B.S. degree. He also completed graduate work at the University of California, Irvine and the University of Arizona where he graduated with an M.Ed. He was selected to Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities 11 times and as a member of Phi Delta Kappa and a Prometheus Society Associate at SUNY Brockport. While at the University of Arizona he taught physical education and supervised student teachers in the Department of Education. He was the Director of Aquatics at the University of Arizona.
Prior to coming to Arizona, he taught elementary school, junior high school, and high school in Tustin, California. LaRose also coached swimming, water polo, baseball, and basketball while in Southern California. At Tustin High School and Foothill High School, his teams were always among the best in Southern California CIF High School Swimming and Water Polo Championships. He was also the Head Coach of the Southern California Aquatic Club with his teams placing in the top 10 at both the AAU Short Course and Long Course Championships. His swimmers produced a number of national age group records. He coached individuals and teams in the United States Olympic Trials and the Pan American Trials. A number of his swimmers won Olympic Medals, held World and American records, and won NCAA titles.
In college, Coach LaRose lettered in Cross Country, Swimming, and Golf. Coach LaRose was a three-time NCAA All American in swimming at Brockport State. He swam the backstroke, freestyle, and individual medley. He was a three-time SUNY Conference Swimming Champion, a three-time NCAA Regional Swimming Champion, and a High School All American. He held the New York State record for the 100-yard and 200-yard backstroke both in high school and college. As a junior swimmer, he was the New York State Junior Olympic Champion in the backstroke. He was a New York Collegiate Golf Champion and was a member of the SUNY Conference Cross Country Championship team.
LaRose played professional fast-pitch softball for the Tucson Rattlers of the American Professional League. He played third base, and first base for the Rattlers which won the World Professional Championship in 1976. This was the first professional championship won by a team from the State of Arizona. He has played in 4 ISC (International Softball Congress) World Softball Championships and was selected as an All-State ASA (American Softball Association) and ISC All State Player in Arizona. His team, Culver Motors, finished fifth in the 1988 World ISC Tournament in DeCatur, Illinois. His Culver Motors team also won the major ISC Arizona State League Championship. He also played on a number of Tucson City Championship teams and was the winning softball pitcher in the 1987 City Championship. As an all-star softball player in Albany, New York, he hit a home run off of the great Eddie Feigner in an exhibition game in 1966. While in Southern California, he played major fast pitch softball in elite leagues in Anaheim, Laguna Beach, Inglewood, Tustin, and Costa Mesa. LaRose spent many recent summers playing baseball in the Tucson City League and his teams won numerous championships. He also was a member of the City Championship basketball team in the Albany, New York, summer league and was a starting wide receiver for a Southern California flag football league champion. Coach LaRose had the opportunity to spend a number of training camps with the USA Olympic and National Softball Teams under the direction of his good friend, US Olympic Head Coach Mike Candrea.
As a golfer he has qualified for and played in the United States Amateur Championship, the United States Mid-Amateur Championship, the United States Senior Amateur Championship, and the Australian Amateur Championship. He has been the sectional medalist in both the U.S. Mid-Am Championship qualifier, the U.S. Amateur qualifier, and the U.S. Senior-Am qualifier. He has been an alternative qualifier for the United States Open Championship. He has been a member of the Arizona Golf Association’s Goldwater Cup Team three times as one of the top amateurs in Arizona. He has played on the Goldwater Cup Open Team and Senior Team. He has also been a member of the South Updegraff Cup Team 20 times. He has played as an amateur in the top national events including the Northeast Amateur, the Porter Cup, the Dogwood Amateur, the Western Amateur, the Pacific Coast Amateur, the Player’s Amateur, and the Southwestern Amateur. Coach LaRose has been the Dogwood Invitational Senior Amateur Champion, the Porter Cup Senior Amateur Champion, and twice the Player’s Amateur Senior Champion. In 2010, Coach LaRose was given the honor of being an Honorary Starter for the Dogwood Invitational, a tournament which he helped resurrect and competed in as a player. He is one of the top ranked senior amateur players in the country. LaRose won the Master of the Amateurs Senior Championship in Melbourne, Australia in 2008. That same year, he teamed with Rick Rarick to represent the United States in the World Cup at the Australian Master of the Amateurs. In 2003, he was runner-up in the Arizona Mid-Amateur Championship, a semi-finalist in the Arizona State Amateur Championship, twice was low Amateur in the Arizona Open, runner-up in the Porter Cup Senior Championship, and the Player’s Amateur Senior Championship. He is also a four-time Tucson CC Senior Club Champion. He was a finalist in the 1990 Trans Miss Championship.
Coach LaRose has also conducted youth clinics at a number of national events. He still spends time each summer teaching at golf camps around the country. LaRose has done golf clinics all over the world (Australia, Japan, Scotland, Ireland, and the U.S.). He has produced a number of videos and articles about college golf and short game instruction. He has also conducted junior clinics at the Dogwood Invitational at Druid Hills CC in Atlanta. LaRose has also had the opportunity to work with some of golf’s best course architects in building courses in the Tucson area, including Robert Trent Jones Jr. (Raven GC), Jack Nicklaus (La Paloma CC, GC at Dove Mtn.), Bob Cupp (TPC Star Pass), Dan Fry (Tucson CC), and Tom Weiskopf (GC at Vistoso).
Coach LaRose has served on the Board of Directors and the Board of Governors for the Arizona Golf Association. He also serves as an advisory member of the Dogwood Invitational, the Porter Cup, the Player’s Amateur, the Southwestern Amateur Golf Association, the Selection Board for the Arizona Golf Association Hall of Fame and serves on the International Championship Committee of the Australian Master of the Amateurs. He also served as an Advisory Board member of the Rolex Collegiate Golf Foundation. He is a founding committee member for the William McMahon Award presented by the Porter Cup each year to the top mid-amateur in the country. Coach LaRose has also served on the Board of Directors at the Tucson Country Club and Chairman of the Greens and Grounds Committee. As well as being in the Golf Coaches Hall of Fame His NCAA Championship Teams are also in the University of Arizona Athletic Hall of Fame. He was given the John Button Salmon Award from the University of Arizona in 2012. He has been honored three times with the Tucson Conquistador’s Sports Achievement Awards. Coach LaRose has been a member of the NCAA District No. 8 Golf Advisory Committee for five years and has served as Chairman for two terms. He is a member of the National Golf Coaches Association and the Golf Coaches Association of American where he has served on the Legislative Committee, the Long Range Planning Committee, the USGA Relations Committee, the National Advisory Board Nominating Committee, as well as Chairing the Ad Hoc Committee on the National Match Play Championships.
The National Match Play Championships was something Coach LaRose had been working to make a reality since 1989. He is considered the main force in creating the NCAA Match Play Championship used today to determine the NCAA Champion for both men and women. Coach LaRose is a member of the GCAA Palmer Cup Advisory Committee. He has been the Tournament Director for a number of major collegiate events including a pair of NCAA Women’s Regionals, five NCAA Men’s Regionals, a Women’s Pac 10 Championship, three Men’s Pac 10 Championships, 33 Arizona Intercollegiates, five Conquistador Invitationals, nine National Invitational Tournaments, and the Callaway National Collegiate Match Play Championship. Coach LaRose has been a member of the NCAA National Golf Committee. In the fall of 2005, Coach LaRose received the Bill Eschenbrenner Award from the Western Refining Sun Bowl All America Golf Classic for his years of service and contributions to the All-America Golf Classic and college golf. In the summer of 2006, Coach LaRose was presented the Player’s Amateur and Heritage Foundation Honor Award for his contributions to the Player’s Amateur in Hilton Head, South Carolina. He was honored at the Dogwood Invitational in Atlanta, Georgie for his contributions to the tournament since its return to the Amateur circuit in 2017. He also serves on the Board of the Patriot Tournament for The Folds of Honor and serves on the tournament committee and rules committee for the tournament. Coach LaRose has also been a speaker at numerous golf events in the United States, Japan, and Australia.
Upon taking over the golf coaching duties at Arizona in 1978-79, Coach LaRose formed and developed the University of Arizona Eagle Club, a booster program for Wildcat Golf fundraising. Coach LaRose began the Wildcat Golf Tournament as a fundraiser for the University of Arizona Golf Program in 1979. With the help of its corporate partners, Golden Eagle Distributing, Cigna, Jack Daniels, Pepsi, and Nike, the fundraising tournament has become the finest event of its kind in Arizona and the Southwest. Since its inception the Wildcat Tournament has raised over three and a half million dollars for the Wildcat Golf Program. As Special Assistant to the Director of Athletics, Coach LaRose coordinated the Wildcat’s own practice facility at the Sewailo Golf Club in Tucson. Since his retirement he has been working closely with the University of Arizona President, Dr. Robert Robbins, and the University of Arizona Foundation, planning the development of, fundraising for, and construction of the University of Arizona Golf William Clements Practice Facility at the Tucson Country Club.
Coach LaRose is currently Head Coach and Captain for Team USA for the Australian Master of the Amateurs. He also serves on the AMOTA International Committee. He also is President and Director of Golf Wildcat All Star Sports, LLC a sports developmental company and Director of Worldwide Golf Services, LLC, a national and international golf tour and instruction company. He also served as President of Varsity Marketing, a sports marketing group promoting sporting events in Tucson.
