'Mr. Bulldog' no more: John Rosa set to leave Freedom, become Western Beaver's new AD
FREEDOM – For much of the past 34 years, no one has exemplified Freedom Area High School athletics as much as John Rosa. More than anyone during that span, he’s been “Mr. Bulldog.”
But Rosa’s time at Freedom will soon end, and once it does, he’ll begin a new chapter in his life 12 miles away from his office at 1190 Bulldog Drive.
Rosa, Freedom’s athletic director since the spring of 2011 and a multi-sport coach, will retire effective June 30.
Then on July 1, he’ll begin his new job as athletic director at Western Beaver High School.
“It will be different,” said Rosa, who’s been Freedom’s head football coach the past two years. “I’ve been at Freedom since 1990. That’s a lot of years.
“I'm sure there will be things I'll miss at Freedom, but all good things have to come to an end at some point. I am very appreciative of the opportunities that I have had at Freedom High School.
“Now, I’m looking forward to a new opportunity. I think Western Beaver will be a good place for me.”
Rosa, who submitted his retirement at Freedom’s Nov. 11 school Board meeting, has been pondering retirement for the past few years. During that time, he projected that the end of the 2022-23 school year would be the right time. It coincided with the graduation of his daughter Erica, a Freedom senior.
Rosa, who’ll celebrate his 56th birthday on Tuesday, arrived at Freedom in the fall of 1990 shortly after graduating from Allegheny College in Meadville.
A Hopewell Township native, Rosa was hired at Freedom as a math teacher and head wrestling coach. Thus began his 34-year association with Freedom’s sports programs.
On May 1, 2011, he was hired as athletic director. There were 32 applicants for the position but it was Rosa who got the job.
Dr. Rusty Staub, Freedom’s principal at the time, said that “Mr. Rosa was the ideal A.D. because he is an experienced coach, has a passion for athletics, and, as a faculty member, he knows the kids and is located in the building. He’s here. He’s accessible. He’s a resource.”
“I’m at my best when I’m busiest,” Rosa, who had already coached four different sports at that point, said during the interview process.
Rosa coached the wrestling team through the 2007 season. During that time, he coached two state champs, Kurt Brenner and Damian Rose.
He coached the baseball team for three years, 1994-1996.
He’s had two different stints as head football coach – 1996-1998 and 2021-2022 – as well as two other stints as interim football coach.
He even coached the girls softball team in 1999.
"I feel that we got a lot done here,” said Rosa when asked to reflect on his body of work at Freedom.
“As a coach, I’ve had a lot of highs and lows. It exemplifies what high school sports are all about. You have a winner and you have a loser. You want to be on the winning side as much as you can but you have to be able to accept the losing, too. I’ve had a little of both here over the years.
“The thing I most reflect back on during the past 30-some years are the relationships I've made with people. I’ve worked with some really good people. I’ve learned a lot from some really good people.
“I cherish the memories and the relationships I’ve made with people and the long-lasting relationships I’ve made with athletes and students.
“I’m grateful for what I’ve done here. I think I've done a lot here. I'm proud of the things we accomplished.”
“If you look at our programs, if you take a snapshot of where we were in 2011 and where we are now, the success of our programs now, I think I’ve made my mark here.”
Two off-the-field projects that Rosa played a big part in are the Jimbo Covert Golf Outing, which raises funds for the Bulldogs’ football program and scholarships, and the Freedom Gridiron Greats, which is more or less Freedom’s football Hall of Fame.
Perhaps the person who most influenced Rosa as an athletic director was the late Len Waitkus, a former Freedom math teacher who also served as football coach, golf coach and athletic director.
“He was a great athletic director,” Rosa said. “He was my inspiration. He kind of gave me the drive to become an athletic director. He was my mentor, like a father when I first started here.
“I watched him work. I saw the body of work that he did, so I wanted to follow his footsteps. He was my standard. I hope I measured up for what he taught me to do.”
The powers-to-be at Western Beaver obviously were impressed by the job Rosa did at Freedom.
Not long after hearing about Rosa’s plans to retire, Western Beaver approached him about their A.D. opening.
For Rosa, it was a no-brainer … especially since he’ll be more than just the Golden Beavers’ athletic director.
Not only will he replace high school principal Dave Brandon, who’s been the acting athletic director, but he’ll also join the staff of football coach Ron Busby. Rosa will serve as offensive coordinator.
And it will be a father/son tandem on Western Beaver’s coaching staff. Rosa’s son Zach, who’s a senior at Geneva College, will also serve as an assistant coach.
“I've known Dave Brandon and Ron Busby for quite a while,” Rosa said. “For whatever reason, (Brandon) was looking to bring in an A.D. They contacted me, and we were able to work it out.
“I really enjoy being an athletic director and I really enjoy coaching football. I still want to coach. So, I’m going into a really good situation at Western Beaver. There’s a lot of tradition there.
“It's a good place to be, and, hopefully, there's something I can add to it and make it an even better place. I hope it will be a great experience for me. It's going to be the next step in my life.”
Rosa, who’s so used to wearing red and white garb, will soon have to start wearing purple and gold, Western Beaver’s colors.
“It’s like my wife said, you have a lot of red and white in your closet. What are you going to do with all of that?” Rosa said. “Now I have to get some purple and gold in there.”
This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: 'Mr. Bulldog' no more: John Rosa set to leave Freedom, become Western Beaver's new AD
