Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 10/18/12
Upper Dublin girls’ lacrosse coach Dee Fichter Cross (Norristown High) will be inducted into the South Central Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame at an induction banquet on Nov. 17 at Premier Events in Shippensburg.
Cross, who has led the Cardinals to five straight Suburban One American Conference undefeated championships, starred as a lacrosse, field hockey and basketball player at Shippensburg University from 1977-81.
Cross was the Team MVP at Shippensburg in all three sports she played as a senior. That year she was named NCAA Division III Lacrosse Player of the Year and led the field hockey team to its only national championship. She also was featured in Sports Illustrated “Faces in the Crowd” in 1978 and was captain of the US Women’s World Cup Gold Medalist team in 1989. She played nine years for the US National team.
Cross was named to the All Suburban One 1st team in both 1976 and 1977 at Norristown. In her senior year she was recognized as Norristown’s Outstanding Female Athlete and is a member of the Norristown Hall of Champions.
She also played for the USA against the Celts tour in 1981 and in the USA/England Test matches in 1988. She served as USA Squad Coach 1991-1993, as USA Assistant Coach for test matches in 1992 and as Assistant Coach and Manager of the USA World Cup team which went to Scotland in 1993.
Cross is a member both of the Eastern Pennsylvania Chapter of the US Lacrosse Hall of Fame and the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame.
Cross has a 92-29 record in six years at Upper Dublin.
Cross also coached the Abington girls’ team from 1987-99 and coached the 1988 Philadelphia 1 team to the National Club Championship. Beyond playing and coaching, Cross has served lacrosse in many ways as: Treasurer of the Philadelphia Women’s Lacrosse Association for six years, as a USWLA selector, a PASLA and PWLA selector, a USWLA clinician, helping to develop summer league play in the Philadelphia area, and in helping to start Abington Youth Lacrosse.
