March 5, 2011: Every Rose has his thorn

Baseball legend Pete Rose files for divorce.

by Jeffrey Cottrill

After a glorious career, Pete Rose's post-baseball life has been somewhat less spectacular. In 1989, he agreed to permanent ineligibility from Major League Baseball, following accusations that he'd been involved in gambling on the sport. He was also permanently banned from induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame, despite being baseball's all-time leader in hits, singles, and games played, as well as walks, doubles and runs by a switch hitter, plus several more records. Later, his son and namesake, Pete Rose Jr., did prison time in 2006 for distributing the drug GBL to his minor-league teammates.

Now, the elder Rose's 26-year marriage has collapsed as well. The Associated Press reported yesterday that the former player and manager, who turns 70 next month, has filed for divorce from his second wife, Carol J. Woliung.

Court documents in Los Angeles reveal that Rose cited irreconcilable differences in his petition. He has agreed to pay spousal support to Woliung, but expects her to pay her own divorce lawyer and is demanding all of the memorabilia that he already owned before the marriage, including the jewelry. No date of separation was indicated.

The marital split should be no surprise, since Rose came out in public about an affair in November 2009. He was even pushing for his mistress -- a former flight attendant with Korean Airlines -- to pose in Playboy.

Rose married his first wife, Karolyn Englehardt, in January 1964 and divorced her in 1980. He met Woliung while she was a cheerleader for the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles, and they married in April 1984. Rose has four adult children -- two with Woliung, 26-year-old son Tyler and 21-year-old daughter Cara, and two with Englehardt, 46-year-old daughter Fawn and 41-year-old Rose Jr. Cara Rose has played roles in the TV series Passions and Melrose Place, under the name Chea Courtney. Rose Jr. played 11 games with the Cincinnati Reds in the midst of a lengthy minor-league-baseball career; he currently manages the Bristol White Sox.

Pete Rose began his career with the Reds in 1963. He signed a contract with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1978 and played with them for five seasons; after a brief stint in 1984 with the Montreal Expos, he was traded back to the Reds and became their manager. He retired as a player in November 1986 but continued to manage the Reds until his ban in 1989.

For more articles on creating a healthy environment after your divorce:

• Six Types of Cheaters
• Financial Fairness in Divorce: What you need to know
• In the Best Interest of the Child

For more Celebrity Divorce and Marriage news, visit http://www.divorcemag.com/news/

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