Seth Rose, ’03, came to USC on a tennis scholarship in 1999 and was a first team All-American in singles under then-head men’s coach Kent Demars. He was inducted in the Gamecock Athletics Hall of Fame in 2014 and is currently vice president of the Association of Lettermen; he’ll be president next year.
But his USC memories didn’t just happen on the court. Seth met his wife, Anna, during undergrad. She stayed on at USC for pharmacy school and he stayed on for law school.
After serving as a prosecutor, he entered politics. From 2011 to 2018, he served on Richland County Council. He is currently a member of the South Carolina Legislature representing House District 72, which includes USC, Five Points and the surrounding neighborhoods.
If we want to see the university that we love be the best it can be, we all need to do our part, whatever that may be.
And while Rose has moved on from competitive tennis — “I play pickleball now,” he says with a laugh — his family has stayed within a ground stroke of USC. It only made sense, then, that he would name a pair of tennis courts on campus — one indoors, the other outdoors.
The Rose family isn’t strictly a tennis family, though. Fans entering Williams-Brice Stadium near the George Rogers statue will soon pass through the Rose Family Gate. The named gift was a family decision, but it was particularly popular with the Rose children — Cole, Luke and Tilly — who Rose describes as “diehard Gamecock football fans.”
“I just love the university, and it means a lot to my family,” says Seth. “And I encourage other people to give back as well. You know, if we want to see the university that we love be the best it can be, we all need to do our part, whatever that may be.”
Photo by Ashley Wright