Striking Spotlight

ARLINGTON, Texas – Since 2002, red, white and blue have been dominant wardrobe colors for Team USA head coach Rod Ross.

After nearly two decades as part of the Junior Team USA and Team USA coaching staffs, Ross, 64, has decided to retire from the program.

During his time under the Team USA umbrella, Ross has excelled in many roles, while also serving as director for the International Training and Research Center, which officially opened its doors in 2010.

His responsibilities expanded in 2007 to include assisting with the adult version of Team USA, again under Edwards, and he succeeded her as head coach in 2010.

As part of the Team USA program, Ross has helped competitors from the United States to hundreds of medals in international competition, including more than 25 world championships at the adult level, seven gold medals at the Pan American Games and three QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup titles.

From 2010-2012, the Junior Team USA girls, Junior Team USA boys, Team USA women and Team USA men all were the reigning world champions under Ross’ guidance.

“The players always say there’s no feeling like standing on the medal podium and hearing our national anthem, but there’s also a great sense of honor and pride for me when I get to witness this with them and our team,” said Ross, a five-time United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee National Coach of the Year for Bowling (2004, 2010, 2012, 2015, 2019). “Even though I played the smallest role in helping make their dreams come true, it is an experience I will always treasure.

Prior to taking the helm at the ITRC in Texas, Ross gained notoriety and recognition for developing cutting-edge computer and video training technology and for creating the first formal bowling training facility on the West Coast.

His work helped earn him the USOPC’s Doc Counsilman Science Award for bowling in 2005, a first for the bowling industry.

The award recognizes a coach who uses science, medicine and/or technology in his or her instruction or has created innovative ways to integrate sport science into coaching.

At the time, Ross and his wife, Teresa, now a coaching specialist at USBC, owned and ran the pro shop and training center at Manteca Bowl in Manteca, California. His career in the industry spans more than 40 years.

Along with coaching some of the world’s best bowlers within the Team USA program, Ross’ knowledge and experience have made him a resource for bowlers, coaches and pro shop operators from across the globe.

“We are incredibly grateful to Rod for his dedication to Team USA and for all the contributions he has made to help the program be so successful over the last two decades,” USBC Executive Director Chad Murphy said.