WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Alumni Ross Croasdell, Larry Becker and Dan Moll have teamed up to make the lead contributions in establishing the Daniel P. Ross Swimming & Diving Scholarship Endowment, providing future Boilermakers with scholarships to aid their Purdue student-athlete experience.
Croasdell, Becker and Moll opted to name the endowment in honor of their coach, a man who has served as the leader of the Boilermakers with class and distinction for 36 seasons. The endowment was announced Saturday, Sept. 25 as part of Purdue Swimming & Diving's alumni reunion celebration. Coach Ross was not told of the endowment until the announcement at the private dinner on the top floor of the Lafayette Brewing Company.
Every five years a larger reunion is organized to reunite dozens of graduating classes and multiple generations of Purdue swimmers and divers. Croasdell and Becker were able to attend this year and were joined by a large group of over 100 program alumni and their spouses for a full Saturday of events.
"The teachings of Coach Ross continue to guide me and my business daily," Croasdell says. "The years I spent as part of the swimming program at Purdue have had an incredible impact on my life and career. Purdue Swimming is sacred ground! Thank you Dan for the opportunity 26 years ago, for tattooing on my soul key life lessons and principles I needed to become a good man. He taught us all we were capable of achieving whatever we set our minds to. I owe so much to Purdue and specifically to you, Dan."
Fellow alumni and friends of Purdue swimming & diving are also invited to contribute and may do at JohnPurdueClub.com or so by connecting with their John Purdue Club Boilermaker Athletics Representative. Contacting the JPC directly at jpc@purdue.edu or 765.494.2582 is also an option.
"Those three guys – Ross, Larry and Dan – are so very humble," Coach Ross said. "It's just amazing that they're the seed for this gift. They are just true Boilermakers who make everyone better around them. I'm humbled. I haven't been wowed in a while and it was a true wow night Saturday. My wife Sally and I are deeply touched and continue to be blessed by everything that Purdue has given to our family."
As the dean of Purdue coaches and Big Ten swim coaches, Coach Ross has mentored Purdue student-athletes across five decades and counting. As a team alumnus himself, he has been associated with the program for over 40 years as a student-athlete, assistant coach and the leader of Boilermakers since the summer of 1985. And Ross has no plans of calling it a career anytime soon. Not when Purdue continues to reach new heights, including overcoming the COVID-related adversity of the last 18 months.
The 2021 Boilermakers' nine NCAA Championships qualifiers combined for 14 All-America honors and scored in seven events to finish among the top 20 at the national championship meet again. Nikola Aćin and Brandon Loschiavo went on to compete at the Olympic Games this summer. Over 36 years as head coach, Ross has coached dozens of Big Ten champions and helped shepherd hundreds of young men into adulthood equipped with a positive college experience and a Purdue degree.
Croasdell (freestyle), Becker (breaststroke) and Moll (diving) all competed for the Boilermakers in the 1990s, graduating with industrial management and engineering degrees in the final years of decade. They call the West Coast home now, serving in leadership and executive roles at companies like Streamline, Oracle NetSuite and Rivian. They remain Ever Grateful for the impact that Ross and Purdue swimming & diving had on their lives. It's a sentiment shared universally by the bevy of Boilermakers that have called the pool home during their years as Purdue student-athletes.
"There's a lot to be proud of as Purdue swimming & diving alum, but it all starts with Dan Ross," Becker says. "Dan's personality and leadership are constants; those are qualities that have produced sustained integrity throughout the program. I've enjoyed watching him adapt and continue to find ways to connect with the next generation of Boilermakers. Regardless of what years you were a swimmer at Purdue, we're all connected by what we learned from Dan."
Coach Ross has maintained his positive attitude and supportive persona regardless of where his program practices and competes. His presence on deck is unparalleled. Put simply, the aquatic center and Purdue Swimming & Diving would not be the same without him.
Croasdell, Becker and Moll opted to name the endowment in honor of their coach, a man who has served as the leader of the Boilermakers with class and distinction for 36 seasons. The endowment was announced Saturday, Sept. 25 as part of Purdue Swimming & Diving's alumni reunion celebration. Coach Ross was not told of the endowment until the announcement at the private dinner on the top floor of the Lafayette Brewing Company.
Every five years a larger reunion is organized to reunite dozens of graduating classes and multiple generations of Purdue swimmers and divers. Croasdell and Becker were able to attend this year and were joined by a large group of over 100 program alumni and their spouses for a full Saturday of events.
"The teachings of Coach Ross continue to guide me and my business daily," Croasdell says. "The years I spent as part of the swimming program at Purdue have had an incredible impact on my life and career. Purdue Swimming is sacred ground! Thank you Dan for the opportunity 26 years ago, for tattooing on my soul key life lessons and principles I needed to become a good man. He taught us all we were capable of achieving whatever we set our minds to. I owe so much to Purdue and specifically to you, Dan."
Fellow alumni and friends of Purdue swimming & diving are also invited to contribute and may do at JohnPurdueClub.com or so by connecting with their John Purdue Club Boilermaker Athletics Representative. Contacting the JPC directly at jpc@purdue.edu or 765.494.2582 is also an option.
"Those three guys – Ross, Larry and Dan – are so very humble," Coach Ross said. "It's just amazing that they're the seed for this gift. They are just true Boilermakers who make everyone better around them. I'm humbled. I haven't been wowed in a while and it was a true wow night Saturday. My wife Sally and I are deeply touched and continue to be blessed by everything that Purdue has given to our family."
As the dean of Purdue coaches and Big Ten swim coaches, Coach Ross has mentored Purdue student-athletes across five decades and counting. As a team alumnus himself, he has been associated with the program for over 40 years as a student-athlete, assistant coach and the leader of Boilermakers since the summer of 1985. And Ross has no plans of calling it a career anytime soon. Not when Purdue continues to reach new heights, including overcoming the COVID-related adversity of the last 18 months.
The 2021 Boilermakers' nine NCAA Championships qualifiers combined for 14 All-America honors and scored in seven events to finish among the top 20 at the national championship meet again. Nikola Aćin and Brandon Loschiavo went on to compete at the Olympic Games this summer. Over 36 years as head coach, Ross has coached dozens of Big Ten champions and helped shepherd hundreds of young men into adulthood equipped with a positive college experience and a Purdue degree.
Croasdell (freestyle), Becker (breaststroke) and Moll (diving) all competed for the Boilermakers in the 1990s, graduating with industrial management and engineering degrees in the final years of decade. They call the West Coast home now, serving in leadership and executive roles at companies like Streamline, Oracle NetSuite and Rivian. They remain Ever Grateful for the impact that Ross and Purdue swimming & diving had on their lives. It's a sentiment shared universally by the bevy of Boilermakers that have called the pool home during their years as Purdue student-athletes.
"There's a lot to be proud of as Purdue swimming & diving alum, but it all starts with Dan Ross," Becker says. "Dan's personality and leadership are constants; those are qualities that have produced sustained integrity throughout the program. I've enjoyed watching him adapt and continue to find ways to connect with the next generation of Boilermakers. Regardless of what years you were a swimmer at Purdue, we're all connected by what we learned from Dan."
Coach Ross has maintained his positive attitude and supportive persona regardless of where his program practices and competes. His presence on deck is unparalleled. Put simply, the aquatic center and Purdue Swimming & Diving would not be the same without him.