Dave Rogahn never made a game-winning shot, never had an assist, and also never turned the ball over.
But he made a huge impact on the California basketball community.
Through his jchoops.com website, he reported on games, the athletes and coaches who take to the court each winter in the hopes of lifting the state championship trophy. He did this for 17 years before passing from a sudden heart attack.
Rogahn was a staple at basketball games around the state.
Believing that community college athletics were overlooked by the mainstream media, he set out to bring exposure to athletes who played the game and the coaches who work tirelessly on behalf of their athletes. Through his website, he would provide game reports, stats, scores and any other information that would help promote the game and its athletes. All of the information on his website was provided free for anyone to enjoy. His sole objective was to promote the athletes. In some small way he hoped his write ups and game notes would bring exposure and assist athletes in achieving their goal of receiving a scholarship to a four-year university. He found joy in the athletes achieving their athletic and academic goals.
Ironically, he wasn’t a trained writer. But, yet, still found the words to bring any story to life in the minds of the reader. To say, Rogahn was highly educated would be an understatement. He earned an undergraduate degree in Business Administration from St. Louis University and a MBA from the University of San Francisco. He went on to earn a Juris Doctorate degree from Golden State University, graduating at the top of his law class. He earned the prestigious American Jurisprudence Award and successfully passed the California Bar exam on the first try.
While he worked for several distinguished law firms, his passion was always reporting on sports. He freelanced for newspapers and a television sports network. In order to gather the news for his website, Rogahn would travel the state, returning home (late) each evening to share what he saw to his fans.
He was a lover of reading, having amassed a large library of sports books. Rogahn had a witty sense of humor, an extensive knowledge of sports, and was very generous. He will always be remembered as a great person who made a unique and significant contribution to California community college athletics.