Dan DeRose Dan DeRose is a businessperson from Pueblo , Colorado . He is a member of the DeRose family . He owned the business DD Marketing , a business which negotiated soft drink contracts for schools . He was previously a college football player and athletic director for the Colorado State University - Pueblo ( previously University of Southern Colorado ) . He had also played for the New York Giants in 1987 in a strike - breaking team . He also was one of the principal owners of Small Smiles Dental Centers . History . DeRose attended East High School in Pueblo , Colorado and played American football there . DeRose attended the University of Southern Colorado ( USC ) , now known as the Colorado State University - Pueblo ( CSU - Pueblo ) . He received a bachelor of science degree in business management in 1984 and received a Master of Business Administration in 1985 . In the early 1980s DeRose served as a linebacker for USC . He also served as an athletic director for the university . By 1994 DeRose re - established the school ' s baseball program and had a new stadium complex built for baseball . Baseball had been previously ended in 1984 due to budget cuts . DeRose was also the owner , founder , and head coach of the Pueblo Crusaders , a Minor League Football System team . He served as the middle linebacker of the team . DeRose and Ed Watkins , who became the president of the league , met in late 1986 , establishing the league . He also was the defensive captain of the 1987 New York Giants strike replacement team . He also tried out as a free agent for the Denver Broncos and has made attempts to re - establish the American football team of CSU - Pueblo . Under DD Marketing , DeRose negotiated exclusive soft drink contracts with U . S . school districts . DeRose ' s business model was against the previous system of soft drink manufacturers making low bids for exclusive soft drink contracts ; school districts did not have the time or inclination to pursue alternatives to the low bids and had accepted the low bids . Under DeRose , school districts were able to get more lucrative contracts . In 1998 DeRose said that he negotiated such contracts for 63 school districts . DD Marketing marketed " Zap Me , " a program that places computers in schools . The computers installed by the program included advertisements seen in corners of the computer screens . DeRose expressed favor for placing advertisements in schools , saying that if there are no advertisements in schools , " it doesn ' t give our young people an accurate picture of our society . " DeRose argued that it was not his role to tell schools to accept advertising . Andrew Hagelshaw , the senior program director of the Center for Commercial Free Public Education , said that DeRose " really illustrates the worst aspects of commercialism in schools " and that he was " making millions of dollars off commercializing public schools , and he is not taking into account any of the negatives . " Constance L . Hays of " The New York Times " said that " Several critics compare Mr . De Rose to the title character in " The Music Man , " the musical about a small town falling for a charlatan ' s pitch . " Dan DeRose was one of the owners of Small Smiles Dental Centers . According to his brother , Michael DeRose , Dan DeRose provided some management and marketing services for the company . In 2006 the owners of Small Smiles , including Dan DeRose , sold the company . DD Marketing was not a part of the sale . In 2007 Dan DeRose announced that he was going to give a gift to CSU - Pueblo ' s American football team . It was the largest gift in the school ' s history . In 2007 , at the Sangre de Cristo Arts and Conference Center , Dan DeRose received Charles W . Crew Business Leader of the Year award from the Pueblo Chamber of Commerce . In 2010 the Sons of Italy awarded DeRose , an Italian American , with the Golden Lion Award for his work with CSU - Pueblo and the Pueblo , Colorado community . In 2012 he was elected as the chairperson of the board of trustees of CSU - Pueblo .