Charles Elliot Rosen

Charles "Charley" Elliot Rosen, 84, of Accord passed away at Health Alliance Hospital in Kingston, NY, on Saturday, September 13, 2025. Born January 18, 1941, in the Bronx, he was the son of the late Benjamin and Pearl (Kurtz) Rosen.

Standing at 6' 8", he played college basketball at Hunter College for three seasons (1959–62), setting school records for both scoring and rebounding, and earning Most Valuable Player each year. He was on the United States basketball team that won the gold medal at the 1961 Maccabiah Games in Tel Aviv, Israel. After college, he briefly played for the Scranton Miners in the old Eastern Professional Basketball League. Charley was also a literary man, studying for (but not quite obtaining) a PhD in Chaucer and teaching English at Hofstra University in Long Island, NY. He later became a very prolific author, focusing on the inequities, politics, passions and dramas endemic to the lives of athletes.

From 1983 to 1986, he served as assistant coach to Phil Jackson for the Albany Patroons of the Continental Basketball Association (CBA). When Jackson left, Charley went on to be head coach for the Patroons, and then, for the following nine years, led CBA teams Rockford Lightning, Oklahoma City Cavalry, and Savannah Spirit, becoming the longest-serving head coach in CBA history at the time. 

Locally, he coached at the college level: the men’s team at Bard College during the 1979–80 season, which he chronicled in the book Players and Pretenders; and then, much later, in the mid-1990s, the women’s team at SUNY New Paltz, on which he based the more recent book Coaching the Basketball B*tches. For at least two decades, he led a much-loved annual weekend retreat called Beyond Basketball at Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, bringing together men and women of all ages and skill levels to appreciate the spirit of the game and the way to work together as a team.

Charley mentored many young athletes and aspiring authors throughout his career. From Sports Illustrated in March 1991: “Even with his future at stake, Rosen won't hide his stars from NBA scouts. He's one of the few CBA coaches who send tapes to NBA teams, and his players love him for this.” As Phil Jackson said, "Charley's teams have great esprit de corps." Years later, Jackson dubbed him “the voice of NBA history.” Charley was the author of almost 30 books, both fiction and nonfiction, among them No Blood, No Foul; The First Tip-Off; The House of Moses All-Stars; The Cockroach Basketball League; Barney Polan's Game; Red, White, and Red; Perfectly Awful; Sammy Wong: All-American; Scout’s Honor; The Chosen Game; The .300 Hitter; Trouthe, Lies, and Basketball; The Minor League Mecca; God, Man, and Basketball Jones; Sugar; The Pivotal Season; The Wizard of Odds; Crazy Basketball; A Mile Above the Rim; Have Jump Shot, Will Travel; Scandals of ‘51; The Emerald Diamond; and Bullpen Diaries. He co-authored More Than a Game and Maverick (with Phil Jackson), The NBA in Black and White (with Ray Scott), and Chocolate Thunder (with Darryl Dawkins). There are also a few books yet to be published. He recently said, “If you want to know who I am, read my books.”

He received many honors in his long career: induction into the Bronx Jewish Hall of Fame, the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame, the New York State Basketball Hall of Fame, and the Greybeards Hall of Fame, among others. Barney Polan's Game and The House of Moses All-Stars were both recognized as New York Times Notable Books, and Barney Polan's Game was recognized on the New York Times Book Review Editor's 1998 Recommended Summer Reading List. His book Scandals of ‘51 explored the gambling scandals that exploited many young athletes in the 1950s and he was considered an expert on the subject.

Charley was known for his in-depth analysis and caustic views, regularly writing for well-known sports publications. He loved reading, music, dogs, and watching his beloved Yankees and Giants. Charley was never interested in retiring, was happiest when he was working, and remained fairly active and independent up until the end of his life.

Charley is survived by his wife, Daia Gerson; his children, Darrell Rosen of Washington and Alexandra Rosen of Hawaii; and his step-children, Oona Edmands of Accord and Theo Edmands of Toronto, along with their respective families; and his sister, Selma Leff of Arizona. He is also survived by his dog, Phoebe.

Cremation arrangements are under the guidance of the Joseph V. Leahy Funeral Home,

Inc. www.jvleahyfh.com. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Woodstock Animal

Sanctuary woodstocksanctuary.org