About Inductee

Doug Ross, a native of Dearborn, Michigan, played collegiate hockey at Bowling Green State University of Ohio, and later played for the United States Team in the XII Winter Olympic Games at Innsbruck, Austria, in 1976. He later coached at Ohio University (1976-77) and Kent State University (1979-81) before coming to UAH in 1982, where his teams won nearly 66 percent of their games over the next quarter-century. After 25 years as the UAH Hockey Coach, Ross retired following the 2006-07 season with more than 500 career victories and two NCAA Division II National Championships. Ross' first three UAH teams won the U.S. National Club Championship. Hockey subsequently became a varsity sport at UAH, and Ross kept winning and winning big. The Chargers won the NCAA Division II National Championship in 1996 and 1998, and finished second in 1994 and 1997. They also won the College Hockey America Conference Championship in 2007, and the NCAA Division I Regional Championship in a dramatic late run in Ross' last season. Ross finished his career with 510 wins, 294 losses and 43 ties. In 1998, he was the recipient of the Sington Award as the state's Collegiate Coach of the Year, in balloting administered by the Alabama Sports Writers Association. "I can't thank Doug enough for what he has done for the sport of hockey, not only here at UAH but also in the community of Huntsville and the state of Alabama," said UAH Athletic Director Jim Harris. "Doug brought UAH championships, unique notoriety and national respect in the collegiate hockey world. We all owe Doug Ross a debt of gratitude for his commitment to UAH.," said Joe Ritch, a Huntsville attorney and the first UAH Club Hockey Coach. In addition to his hockey duties, Ross also coached UAH's Men's and Women's Tennis Teams from 1986-91 and taught Physical Education from 1982-95. Since 1990, he has been the Assistant Fire Chief of the Green Mountain Fire Department. Ross says his parents, Don and Pat Ross, his college coach, Ron Mason, and his Olympic coach, Bob Johnson, deserve much of the credit for his early success in hockey. "My mom made sure I went to church," he said, "and thanks to her I have a good spiritual background, and I'm a better person because of that." Ross is the father of four children: Lindsay, Jared, Colby and Garrett.