Former University of Connecticut men's basketball coach Dee Rowe has passed away at the age of 91, according to the school.
In a tweet, UConn said Rowe was the school's iconic Athletics and Institutional Ambassador for the past 53 years.
Rowe was also the head coach of men's basketball at UConn and directed the program for eight years, winning 120 games, according to the school. He also was named the New England Coach of the Year in both 1970 and 1976.
After his head coaching tenure at UConn concluded, school officials said Rowe launched the fundraising arm for UConn Athletics and generated millions of dollars in donor giving for the school. "he personally directed the effort to raise more than $7 million in private donations to support the building of the Harry A. Gampel Pavilion/Sports Center Complex, which opened in 1990," the school said in part.
Rowe officially retired from UConn at the end of 1991, but remained actively involved with his emeritus role as Special Adviser for Athletics for the last 30 years, UConn said.
During his career, Rowe has been awarded multiple honors and awards, including an award from the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
"Coach Rowe's remarkable eight-decade professional career included numerous individual honors and was highlighted in 2017 when he was named recipient of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame's John W. Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award---the highest and most prestigious award presented by the Hall of Fame outside of Enshrinement," the school said.
Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont tweeted about Rowe on Sunday after learning about his death:
Rowe passed away at his home in Storrs early Sunday morning.
