Everett Roper ('96)

A Cincinnati, Ohio native, Everett Roper has been with Thomas More since 1993.  Over the course of that 10-year relationship, he has served the college in many different aspects.  Beginning with his enrollment as a student and as a member of the football team, to his extended service as a coach and mentor to many student-athletes each year, Roper has remained loyal and committed to his alma mater.

Roper is a 1996 graduate of Thomas More College with a degree in Speech Communication.  As a member of the football team, he was one of the people responsible for its rise to national prominence as a team captain in 1995.  Following his senior season, he was named an All-American by Hewlett Packard and by Football Gazette Magazine.  A dominant figure on the defensive line, Roper still holds the school record for most sacks in a single-game with four at the time of his induction, set at Union on October 8, 1994.

Following his stellar football career, Roper began the first of a current seven-year commitment to Thomas More as a coach.  Over that span, he has been the assistant women’s volleyball coach, an assistant football coach and an assistant women’s basketball coach.  Roper has proven that he has a vast knowledge of many sports and is a master motivator and recruiter.  As a member of the football coaching staff in 2000 and 2001, Roper helped the team achieve a 20-2 record.  In 2001, the team advanced to the second round of the playoffs with an 11-1 record.  He also has been involved with the women’s basketball program during its three NCAA Tournament appearances in the last six years.

However, his biggest challenge in coaching was in 1996 when he became the Head Softball Coach and was placed in charge of beginning a fast-pitch team that would begin intercollegiate play in the NCAA in 1997.  Prior to 1996, softball at Thomas More had been offered as slow-pitch.  This past season, Roper completed his sixth-year as head coach of the softball program and the Saints set a school-record for wins with an 18-12 record.  The team surpassed the previous record set during the 2000 season.  The team’s improved success earned them a place among the nation’s best.

For the first time in school history, the program was ranked in the NCAA statistical leaders, both as a team and individually.  The team had one of the highest batting averages in the nation, finishing the season at .361.  The Saints were also one of the top scoring offenses in Division III with an average of 7.5 runs per game.

In 2000, the team batting average was .311 as Thomas More had six players total 30 or more hits.  In 2001, the team average improved to .326 and that team also had six players with at least 30 hits.  The 2002 team batted .361 and eight players totaled 30 or more hits.  Thomas More was, for the first time, a contender for a position in the NCAA Tournament.

Having been in coaching for 15 years, Roper has experience coaching Cincinnati area summer, select and AAU basketball teams, winning the 18 & under State Championship in 1992.  He coaches a competitive 12 & under travel team in the summer, The Queen City Ultimates.  In 2002, his team finished fourth at ASA Nationals.