Coaches and players remember how physically developed Jesse Rose was upon his arrival to Otterbein in 1999. He became part of the best four-year run in Otterbein men’s soccer history with his teams compiling an overall record of 70-13-2. A four-year starter, he played in 85 games throughout the course of his career and captured All-OAC honors in 2002. The Cardinals went 23-3-1 that season, advancing all the way to the national championship match before falling, 1-0, to Messiah.

Rose possessed a rare engine and appetite on the pitch, becoming the voice of the team as an out-and-out technical center-midfielder. Many will remember the grit and determination displayed by Rose during Otterbein’s 2002 postseason run as he played the entire stretch at 50% health due to an abdominal tear. Despite the injury, Rose finished second on the team in scoring and was named the Ohio Athletic Conference Midfielder of the Year.

A consistently hard worker, Rose was considered one of the team’s “unsung heroes” for never disappearing at any moment throughout his career. He also never disappeared in the classroom, posting a near-perfect grade-point average en route to second-team Academic All-America honors as a senior.