Rosevelt Colvin is headed to Phoenix to watch his beloved Purdue men's basketball team play in the Final Four Saturday as more than just a proud alum of the school.
The former Bears linebacker also happens to be the father of shooting guard Myles Colvin, a 6-foot-5 true freshman.
Colvin, known affectionately as "Rosey" while playing for the Bears from 1999-2002, is ecstatic that his son and the Boilermakers earned a trip to the Final Four last Sunday by winning the Midwest Regional with a 72-66 victory over Tennessee in Detroit.
"It's more emotionally exciting because he's doing it at Purdue," Colvin told ChicagoBears.com. "The significance of achieving that—be on a team that gets there and has a chance to win a national championship—is really huge. We're excited for him."
Colvin loves basketball and coached his son on a club team through his high school years. Myles arrived at Purdue last summer while he was still only 17 and has always competed against older opponents.
"He started playing with me in a men's league on Wednesday nights when he was in middle school," Colvin said. "They used to beat him up, but by the time he got to be a senior in high school he was dunking on grown men."
Myles starred at Heritage Christian High School in Indianapolis, where he averaged 19.3 points as a senior. He was named to the 2023 Indiana All-Star Team and was a finalist for Indianapolis City Athlete of the Year. He has also competed for Team USA in the FIBA U19 World Championships and finished second in a high school slam dunk contest at last year's Final Four in Houston.
"Whatever he does, he makes us super proud because we know the work that he's put in behind the scenes," Colvin said. "Nobody sees what he does. So whenever he can accomplish something with the group of people that he's with, I'm almost in tears just because I see how hard he has worked and what he's put into it and he's getting something out of it in return."
Before signing a letter of intent with Purdue, Myles was also recruited by Indiana, Butler and Miami (Ohio). But the decision was not a difficult one.
"Purdue has been in his blood because that's all he's known," his father said.
The same is true for Myles' dad, who was named All-Big Ten in each of his final two seasons at Purdue while blossoming into an NFL prospect.
Selected by the Bears in the fourth round of the 1999 NFL Draft, Colvin emerged as a talented pass rusher. Playing outside linebacker on run downs and defensive end in passing situations, he recorded 10.5 sacks in 2001 and again in 2002. In the process, he became the first Bears player with double digit sacks in back-to-back seasons since Hall of Famer Richard Dent in 1990-91.
Colvin spent his final six NFL seasons with the Patriots, winning two Super Bowl rings before retiring following the 2008 campaign.
Following his playing career, Colvin operated several businesses in the Indianapolis area. But since last September, he and his wife, Tiffany, sold a bakery and four of five UPS stores they owned and purchased a customized Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van to explore the country.
"We've been on the road traveling," he said, "disconnecting from the world, social media, all that stuff, and just enjoying life."
Many of their trips have been to see Myles play basketball and his older sister, Raven, compete for the Purdue women's volleyball team. The proud parents considered driving to Arizona for the Final Four but ultimately decided to fly.
Mom and dad plan to arrive in plenty of time to see Myles and the Boilermakers face North Carolina State in one semifinal Saturday night at State Farm Stadium. The winner will play either Connecticut or Alabama in the NCAA championship game Monday night.
"I don't think I'll be emotional; I'll just be excited for him," Colvin said. "We're going to be proud regardless of what happens. I'd love to see him standing on a stage with a championship because I've done that before and I've been able to understand what that feels like to be bonded with a group of people for life, and I think to be able to do that at my alma mater—and hopefully his alma mater one day—is extra special.
"It's just an awesome situation for him, and I think if the team continues to play well, they'll be in a good spot and they'll be cutting down the nets on Monday night."
