National Football Foundation

A linebacker for Colorado State-Pueblo, Dan DeRose went on to play one season with the New York Giants in 1987, intercepting one pass. He received a bachelor’s degree in business management in 1984 and received his MBA in 1985. In 1986, DeRose founded the Pueblo Crusaders of the Minor League Football System.  He served as head coach and starting middle linebacker of the 1989 league champion squad. DeRose also served as the owner of DD Marketing, a business which negotiated soft drink contracts for schools, and as his alma mater’s athletics director. DeRose re-established the school's baseball program and had a new stadium complex built for baseball.

Dan DeRose was one of the principal owners of Small Smiles Dental Centers, providing some management and marketing services for the company. In 2007, at the Sangre de Cristo Arts and Conference Center, Dan DeRose received Charles W. Crew Business Leader of the Year award from the Pueblo Chamber of Commerce. In 2010, the Sons of Italy awarded DeRose with the Golden Lion Award for his work with CSU-Pueblo and the Pueblo, Colo., community. In 2012, he was elected as the chairperson of the board of trustees of CSU-Pueblo.