After leaving the college ranks, Rose was an assistant coach with several teams in the National Basketball Association (NBA) between 1986 and 2008.
Rose, a native of Irvine, Kentucky, is a 1958 alumnus of Transylvania University where he served as an assistant coach after graduation under C. M. Newton.
He then took a similar position at the University of Cincinnati before returning to his alma mater as head coach and athletic director and recorded 160 wins in eight seasons.
In 1975 he became the head coach and athletic director at UNC Charlotte, where in three seasons he took the 49ers to one NIT championship game (1976) and to the NCAA Final Four (1977).
The 1980 season came under a cloud beginning in February, when it was reported that the University of South Florida asked for permission to interview Rose for the head coach position, which was received.
[4] After retiring from the college ranks in 1986 Rose served as an assistant coach for four NBA teams: the San Antonio Spurs (1986–1988); the New Jersey Nets (1988–1989); the Milwaukee Bucks (1991–1992), and the Charlotte Hornets (1996–2001).