Dr. Pat Rosenbrock helped write the history books for women’s athletics at Bemidji State University - literally and figuratively.

Not only was Rosenbrock a successful coach of three different sports and the school’s women’s athletic director for a short time, she also helped research and fill in the gaps on the early days of women’s athletics at Bemidji State.

Rosenbrock - who was hired in 1969, and worked at BSU until her retirement in 2006 - spent time as a physical education professor, director of women’s studies, women’s athletic director, coach, and resident historian. She served as the women’s athletic director for two years, and coached gymnastics, track and field, and volleyball, for a combined 20 years.

She coached the gymnastics program its first six years of existence from 1969-75, and found immediate success as her teams won six straight Minn-Kota Conference championships. She coached track and field from 1971-82 and won two MAIAW state teams titles while coaching numerous individuals to state titles.

Rosenbrock took over the volleyball program in 1974 and came out as the winningest volleyball coach in BSU history when she left the program in 1989 with a 293-219-4 record. She won seven Minn-Kota titles, finished second in the MAIAW state tournament three times, won NAIA District 13 titles in 1978 and 1988, and shared the 1988 Northern Sun Conference title with Minnesota-Duluth.

While her coaching accomplishments are many and impressive, Rosenbrock was also the driving force behind capturing the history of Bemidji State women’s athletics. Rosenbrock knew there were many athletes and coaches who deserved to be remembered for their accomplishments at BSU, but there was no written history of the women’s athletic department. She wanted to change that.

In an effort to ensure that the history of women’s athletics at Bemidji State in the post-Title IX landscape would not be forgotten, Rosenbrock worked to research and write the history of those early BSU women’s teams. A lack of records made it difficult to fill in some of the gaps, but she was able to make some headway and give credit to those early athletes and teams at BSU. 

As part of her research, Rosenbrock helped spearhead a celebration for the 30th anniversary of women’s athletics at Bemidji State in 2000. Thanks to her work, many female athletes from the 1970s and 80s came back for the events, and they were able to grow the school’s history even more. Twenty years later, she was honored with the title of Historian of Women’s Athletics at the celebration of the 50th anniversary of women’s athletics at BSU.

Thanks to Rosenbrock’s efforts, the pioneers that made women’s athletics at Bemidji State possible will not be forgotten, and coaches and athletes in the future will have a better understanding and respect for the people who paved the way for female athletes at BSU.