Marvin Rosengarten Obituary - St. Louis, MO
Marvin Rosengarten
December 22, 1929 – August 16, 2025
IN THE CARE OF
Berger Memorial Chapel
Marvin Rosengarten, beloved husband, father, grandfather and coach, passed away on August 16, 2025.
His parents, Leon and Ruth came to the US from Poland and Ukraine. He also had two brothers, Joe and Norman. The brothers were always very close.
In high school, he played football at Soldan High School in St Louis, lettering 2 years. He also lettered 4 years in track.
He was a proud St. Louisan who served in the Marine Corps during the Korean War. He then returned to Southeast Missouri State University to finish his undergraduate education and play football. During and after college, he competed in weightlifting championships all over the country. His favorite lift was the overhead press.
He then coached high school football in Sikeston before moving to Yuma, where he won a high school boys' football state championship. He also won a state track meet in Phoenix at Washington High School.
After a brief coaching hiatus to help run his father’s grocery store, he returned to his alma mater to coach football, track, and later served as the athletic director. He is still well known in Cape Girardeau for taking SEMO athletics from Division II to Division I. His tenure produced 100s of All-Americans, and he even has a building named in his honor on the Southeast campus.
After retirement, he coached boys' track and field at Marquette High School in St. Louis. The team enjoyed a run of success, winning multiple conference and district championships and sending many athletes to the state track and field meet.
He is in the SEMO Hall of Fame and the Jewish Athletes Hall of Fame from the JCC.
Marvin is the beloved husband for 51 years of Marlene Rosengarten; dear father and father-in-law of Mark Steven Seigel and Gary Alan Seigel (Corrine); adored grandfather of Jack, Eli, Molly, Ella, and Abigail Seigel; dear brother and brother-in-law of the late Joseph Rosengarten (Marilyn), the late Norman Rosengarten, the late JoAnn Gershman, Helene Hall (Phil), and Vickie Moskowitz; and blessed with his extended family, Ilene Osherow and family, and Linda and Jerry (deceased) Vesper and family.
Marvin will be remembered as someone who always did the right thing. He would shake hands and work with anyone. His athletes found great success because of his strong belief in them, and his family will miss him dearly.
Funeral Service Wednesday, August 20, at 10:30 AM at BERGER MEMORIAL CHAPEL, 9430 Olive Boulevard. Interment follows at United Hebrew Cemetery, 7855 Canton Avenue. Memorial contributions preferred to Congregation B’nai Amoona, Southeast Missouri State University, the Jewish Federation of St. Louis, and the Harvey Kornblum Jewish Food Pantry. Please visit bergermemorialchapel.com for live stream and other information.
From the Southeast Missourian Newspaper OBITUARY August 18, 2025
Marvin Rosengarten, former SEMO AD and coach, dies at age 95
Marvin Rosengarten, former SEMO athletic director and coach who helped elevate the university’s sports program to Division I, has died at 95. His legacy spans decades of leadership and athletic achievement.
Southeast Missourian
Marvin Rosengarten, right, Greg Brune, center, and Marvin's wife, Marlene Rosengarten, left, at the Southeast Missouri State University Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2016 induction Feb. 3, 2017, at the Show Me Center in Cape Girardeau.Southeast Missourian file
Marvin Rosengarten, a beloved figure in the Southeast Missouri State University athletics community, died Saturday, Aug. 16, at the age of 95.
Rosengarten began his legacy at SEMO as a student-athlete on the football team and went on to serve in multiple leadership roles, including assistant football coach, track coach, director of athletics and director of Athletic Development.
He played a pivotal role in elevating SEMO Athletics from NCAA Division II to its current NCAA Division I status. During his leadership, the university produced hundreds of All-Americans.
Rosengarten was inducted into the SEMO Athletics Hall of Fame as part of its inaugural class in 2002. He was also inducted into the Jewish Athletes Hall of Fame by the St. Louis Jewish Community Center (JCC) and served in the United States Marine Corps during the Korean War while he was in college.
His legacy is also recognized on campus at the Rosengarten Athletic Complex. The building serves as a central hub for the football program, featuring the team’s locker room, an athletic training center, an equipment room and staff offices. When the Redhawks football team goes over game film, they do so in a state-of-the-art video theater located within it.
Rosengarten also made an impact at the high school level, coaching football at Sikeston High School for several years before winning a football state championship in Yuma, Arizona. In his later years, he coached boys track and field at Marquette High School in St. Louis.
A funeral service will be held at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 20, at Berger Memorial Chapel at 9430 Olive Blvd. in St. Louis, followed by interment at United Hebrew Cemetery at 7855 Canton Ave.
Memorial donations may be made to Congregation B’nai Amoona, Southeast Missouri State University, the Jewish Federation of St. Louis or the Harvey Kornblum Jewish Food Pantry.
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More infomation on Coach from the St. Louis Light website.
Published December 11, 2023
From the field to fundraising:
Meet Coach Marvin Rosengarten, the man behind SEMO’s athletic legacy
Marvin Rosengarten was strolling down a hallway at the Gatesworth recently as Carrie Montrey, the facility’s executive director, was making her rounds.
“Good afternoon, coach!” she said.
Rosengarten, 92, has been retired from the athletic field for a couple of decades. But he’s still known as “Coach” after a long and storied career in college athletics. He regularly watches track and field events on TV, and he’ll offer up his opinion and critique of sports teams from the high school ranks to the pros.
There’s another reminder of Coach Rosengarten’s tenure at the campus of Southeast Missouri State University: the Marvin Rosengarten Athletic Complex. The building houses football the football team’s locker room, an athletic training facility, equipment room and offices. When the SEMO Redhawks football team gathers to study game films, it’s in a theater with high-tech video equipment in the Rosengarten complex. The Rosengarten Center also has two outdoor natural grass practice fields.
The Marvin Rosengarten Athletic Complex
Before the building’s January 1994 dedication, Rosengarten learned he would be honored when he received a phone call from Kala Stroup, the university president.
“She said ‘We’re going to name the building after you,’” Rosengarten recalled. “I was really surprised and it didn’t really sink in at first. Someone told me I was the first Jewish guy to have a building named for him who didn’t pay for it!”
While not a wealthy donor, Rosengarten developed a gift for fundraising from supporters of the university, and he was a very successful coach. Eventually, his role expanded to become athletic director of SEMO, a post he held from 1979 to 1989.
Who Is Marvin Rosengarten?
It was 1929 and the outset of the Great Depression when Rosengarten was born in St. Louis. His mother Ruth came from Ukraine and his father Leon was originally from Poland. Marvin attended Hebrew school as a young man and worked in his father’s store on Belt Avenue.
“I didn’t know anything about athletics and I didn’t have time to play sports,” he said. “I was working because it was during the war and there were no men around. My brother talked me into going out for track and football at Soldan High School, and I ended up being pretty good. I didn’t even know I had that ability.
“I played four years of football in the backfield and I was always good at track from day one. All my friends were going to college and I figured I’d go work at Leon’s Market. Then my coach in high school hooked me up with a scholarship at Southeast Missouri State.”
Rosengarten excelled at football in college, and he enjoyed studying history. After his freshman year, he came home for the summer and was greeted by a letter with enlistment orders. He became a newly minted Marine and served three years in the Korean War. Following military service, he was back working in his father’s store. In his leisure time, he went to the Jewish Community Center on Union Avenue.
“I saw guys from high school working out with weights and I said to myself ‘I know I’m stronger than them,’ and before you know it, I bench-pressed 300 pounds,” he said. “I wound up down at the Boys Club and got a trophy for all-around lifting. I lifted in a national meet, and I was in pretty good shape. I decided to go back to school and bought a car with my mustering-out money.”
One of the reasons Rosengarten returned to Cape Girardeau was a plea by the football coach for him to spearhead the defense.
“By my junior year, a few guys start filtering out from the service and by 1954, we had a pretty good team,” he said. “I was all-conference my junior and senior year.”
After graduating from college, Rosengarten accepted a job as a high school assistant line coach and track coach in Sikeston. He was good at those jobs and enjoyed his time in the Missouri bootheel, often dining on $1 T-bone steak at Lambert’s Cafe (which years later became the home of the “throwed rolls”).
In 1959, Rosengarten headed west to Arizona and Yuma High School, where he became the first coach to win state track and football championships. In 1964, he returned to Cape Girardeau, first as assistant football coach and head track coach. During that period, he recruited Walter Smallwood, the university’s first Black player, who went on to become the team’s all-time single-game, single-season and career touchdown leader.
In 1968, Rosengarten concentrated on track and led the SEMO team to 15 titles. In 1974, he married his wife Marlene, who came from St. Louis, and called Cape Girardeau “A whole new life for me.” She became one of the top salespeople at Hecht’s Department Store, a retail magnet in town owned by Marty and Tootie Hecht (who were Jewish).
After retiring as athletic director, Rosengarten worked for the university for another two and a half years, when he oversaw booster activities and developed his gift for fundraising. That’s when he received word that a key sports facility on campus would bear his name.
The Rosengarten home today is filled with sports memorabilia, including one of Marvin’s first weight-lifting trophies. There are also many reminders of his tenure at SEMO, and the Marvin Rosengarten Athletic Complex.
“He had such respect on campus, and it was an incredible honor,” said Marlene Rosengarten.
Comments from those that knew him:
Email your pictures and or comments to Terry Hopkins at alohaterry@tampabay.rr.com or Dave Lehmann at drl2916@gmail.com
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I didn’t know Rosie as most of you did. I only had him as coach my last two years and even then he had a proxy in Bud Reseilt (sp.?) for Cross-Country. My Freshman year our coach was the Baseball Coach (i.e., He must have drawn the short straw). My Sophomore year our coach was the Tennis Coach (same straw). To give you an idea how clueless they were, they both asked me, at some point, what the “X” in X-country stood for. The only words either of them ever uttered was at the Conference meet my Freshman year when our "coach" gathered us together and said, "Hurry back. All our training/workouts in both Cross-Country and Track were one by ourselves. My mentor was our best runner, a guy named Joe Lesem who died too young before he ever would learn about our reunions. Joe was a tough gritty runner who was clearly, later on, responsible for any success I ever had.
"Rosie was actually a Coach even though I saw him more as a Football coach first who, by the way, also knew something about track. It’s obvious most of you saw him much differently. But I liked him and his subtle very dry sarcastic humor. I wish I had known him much better. Given the warmth and love you all seem to feel for him, I feel I really missed out on getting to know and understand a terrific guy. I just wish he could have come earlier in my time at Cape.
Clyde Miner '66
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The SEMO Track and Cross Country teams lost a legend today. For athletes who played for Coach Rosengarten he was a defining figure. He wasn't the kind of coach you'd see hugging players or offering comforting words after a tough game. His methods were old school, his voice boomed across the field, and his expectations were always high. He pushed his runners to their absolute limits, sometimes beyond what they thought was possible.
There were drills that felt endless, and practices that could feel more intense than actual games. Some found his intensity intimidating, even bordering on fear.
But even with his hard exterior, Coach Rosengarten had an undeniable impact on the lives of those he coached. He instilled a powerful work ethic, teaching his athletes the value of grit and mental toughness. He demanded discipline and a commitment to detail that extended beyond the playing field. Many athletes who played for him recall how his tough love shaped not just their athletic skills but also their character and approach to life's challenges. For them, he became a life-long influence, a figure who, though perhaps not always outwardly demonstrative, cared deeply for his team's success and their development as individuals.
Many of his former athletes, even years later, speak about the enduring lessons they learned from Coach Rosengarten about perseverance, dedication, and the importance of striving for their best. His legacy is a testament to the powerful, even life-changing, impact a coach can have when they prioritize pushing for excellence, even if it comes in an old-school package.
May you rest in peace Coach.
Mike Bridwell
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We lost a great coach. He had a funny way to motivate you. Lots of my coaching style came from him. I learned how to motivate my athletes by listening to what they want to do.
He will be greatly missed. My prayers and condolences go out to his family and friends.
I will be there to send him off to heaven.
James Belle
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Coach Rosengarten:
Recruited me in 1965, He was the lone (only) recruiter that sold me on going to Cape, and the only recruiter that addressed education (my education) as a priority. I was fortunate enough that I was able to visit him in Mercy Hospital, just before I had to leave town. MY TYPE OF MAN & COACH!!
Walter E. Smallwood
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Coach Rosengarten had a tremendous influence on my life. I met him in the fall of 1965 as a freshman with only one year running Cross Country and two competitive mile races in high school. At our first time trial for our first Cross Country Meet against SIU, I asked him how should I run this 4 mile distance. He looked at me and said fast. I said it all out and he said pretty much. I followed his advice from that point on and had a very successful career. He demanded excellence and we all absorbed his attitude!
Thanks again COACH!!
Bill Wirtz
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It's a sad day for Semo. We all lost a great coach and story teller.
RIP coach.
Steven James Parker
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Coach Rosengarten positively influenced countless athletes over his long career.
He leaves behind a great legacy at Southeast.
Steve Stahl
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When I think of coaches that influenced my life, I see Coach Rosengarten . He recruited me to play football at SEMO . I admired his coaching ability and he was always positive . I almost quit after my first year of college. I can remember talking to Coach “Rosey” about it and he encouraged me to keep pushing !
I feel like I owe Coach ! R I P !
Larry Wicks
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Legendary coach and produced many great coaches.
Jim Marshall
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Coach Rosengarten’s work ethic, and hard workouts helped to propel the SEMO cross country team to its first MIAA Conference Championship in 1965, and repeated in 1966 and 1967. It was one of the high points of my life. He will be missed.
William Becker
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Terry Coff loved him!
He was a great influence on many young men.
Karon Coff
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Such sad news. We all know coach in different ways. Well, he is the one guy who took a chance on me, for which I am forever grateful. I fed off his gruff energy, and quite frankly, it drove me to work hard. May God bless the coach and his family.
Peace be with all,
Rob Thomas
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Impressive is the number of lives he influenced. May God Rest His Soul
Lester Williams
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Sad beyond words. My prayers are for his wife, children and the many friends he has. Coach Frankie informed me yesterday. This morning I did a bike ride and pushed it as he would have wanted.
Coach will be missed, but his words of encouragement will last forever.
Love you, Coach.
Lenny Corso
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Marvin Rosengarten gave me the chance to coach when some other administrators wouldn't. I hope that the results pleased him.
Ann and Fred Binggeli
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Steve Kissane
Thank you for the updates, Marty and Gary. Coach is very special to all of us, and we are all praying for him and his family.
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Coach Rosengarten saw things in me that I hadn't seen in myself and was the sole reason I chose SEMO. I ran there and he gave me my first coaching job. I was lucky enough to speak with him this week and am grateful that I was able to express my sincere gratitude for the influence and positive impact he had on my life, as I'm sure he had on all of yours.
My prayers are with his family,
James Williams
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Sorry to hear that! My prayers go out to his family, friends, and athletes. He helped us all to be better people.
George Hester
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So sorry to hear. Our prayers go out to his family. Thanks for keeping us informed. Our prayers are with you, too. He made us all better people! 🙏
Terry Meatheany
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Very sad news. Continued prayers and love for all. He was a positive influence in all our lives 🙏.
Appreciate you keeping us updated.
Best regards,
Eric Hornsby
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