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PROVO — Former BYU basketball coach Dave Rose is recovering Wednesday night after suffering what doctors characterized as a "major" heart attack, his wife Cheryl said on Instagram.
The 61-year-old coach, who retired in April after 22 years at BYU and 14 as men's basketball head coach, suffered a heart attack early Tuesday morning and was rushed to the hospital, his wife said.
"The doctors used words like 'severe,' 'major' and 'widow-maker' but they went to work and gave us more time together," Cheryl Rose wrote on Instagram. "We are overwhelmed by the love and support from so many. And most of all your prayers! Grateful for some incredible guys that stopped by to cheer us up, but most of all I’m grateful for my guy! He’s the best and I’m so glad he’s still here."
Rose's longtime assistant coach Tim LaComb reported late Wednesday night on Twitter that Rose "looks awesome" and "is one tough dude" after making a hospital visit earlier in the day.
Cheryl Rose also shared photos of several visitors to Rose's bedside, including one group led by Wasatch Academy head coach David Evans and players like Caleb Lohner and Mady Sissoko.
Rose recruited both top recruits in the state of Utah, as did his successor Mark Pope before they committed to Utah and Michigan State, respectively. The Cougars are also recruiting Tigers teammate Richie Saunders, among other Wasatch Academy standouts.
Former @BYUbasketball Head Coach Dave Rose suffered a major heart attack on Tuesday morning. Some extraordinary doctors & prayer helped him get through it. An update below was posted by his wife Cheryl.
— Spencer Linton (@Spencer_Linton) October 24, 2019
Wishing Coach Rose a full recovery. Love to the Rose fam! 💙🙏🏼#BYU#BYUSNpic.twitter.com/DBXmTd6CZu
Rose retired with 348 career victories, second in BYU history to legendary coach Stan Watt. A graduate of the University of Houston, Rose accumulated a career record of 348-135, including eight trips to the NCAA Tournament and five bids to the National Invitational Tournament during his time at BYU. He won four conference titles, three conference coach of the year awards, and led BYU to 13 20-win seasons before stepping down in April to spend more time with his family.
A pancreatic cancer survivor, Rose's rare illness was declared to be in remission in 2009, but he continued to receive periodic checkups for the remainder of his career. The cancer never fully returned, and those checkups became more infrequent over the past decade.
Standing next to each other with a handful of media after the Cougars' Midnight Madness preseason event Wednesday night, TJ Haws and Jake Toolson expressed support for Rose and gratitude for his recovery.
"At first, I was worried; just wanted him to be OK," said Toolson, the Utah Valley transfer who was originally recruited to BYU by Rose. "Now that we know more and he is doing OK, considering he had a heart attack, it's still scary — but we're glad he's doing well."
