By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 11/3/10
Bonnie Rosen said it was a thrill and an honor to be one of eight inducted into the US Lacrosse National Hall of Fame in a ceremony Saturday at The Grand Lodge in Hunt Valley, Md.
“One of the things I’ve talked about in sports is that it’s always about the team,” said the fourth-year Temple coach and graduate of Harriton High. “And I’ve been very fortunate to be surrounded by great teammates.
Rosen, a 1992 graduate of Virginia, was inducted as a player, but has made her mark in lacrosse through many avenues.
At Harriton, Rosen was a two-time Scholastic All-American. She then starred at Virginia where she again was an All-American and later was named to the Atlantic Coast Conference 50th Anniversary Women’s Lacrosse Team (2002).
She later had a brilliant career as a club player and was a member of the U.S. National team.
Rosen began her college coaching career as an assistant at Yale and then became the first coach at Connecticut when it launched a varsity team in 1997. She was the Big East Coach of the Year in 2000 and led the Huskies into the Top 20 by 2003. She then came home, to Temple, as head coach in 2007 and has become a staple in the Philly lacrosse community by helping build the sport at all levels.
The 2010 induction class also included former Philadelphia Club standout Mary McCarthy Stefano, Scott Bacigalupo, Michael Burnett, Harry McNamara “Mac” Ford, Eleanor Keady Gaffney, Francesca Den Hartog, and Jack Kaley.
Rosen was asked about her greatest accomplishment. Not surprisingly, she spoke about what the sport has given back to her.
“I am more grateful about my experiences than proud of my accomplishments,” she said. “I’ve had the opportunity to play on championship teams, and it was so flattering to be inducted as a player Saturday night.
“Playing feeds the soul, but I would rather be recognized for what I can do for others in the game.”
Rosen said her greatest joy has perhaps been the opportunity to come home to Philadelphia and accept the challenge of trying to rebuild Temple – once the top program in Division I lacrosse – to national prominence. But winning games is only one of Rosen’s goals.
She has made community service a major part of the Temple program and become a major player in the growth of youth and scholastic lacrosse in the city by working with the Public League and Tina Sloan Green, the former Temple great and co-founder of the Black Women in Sport Foundation.
Rosen’s players have helped her run many clinics in the city with youths who are being introduced to the sport often for the first time. Temple also has gained notoriety for adopting a little sister through the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation.
“Temple is really the most interesting and fascinating place to work,” Rosen said. “As a place to coach, it’s a program with a tremendous history of success. I want to bring this program back to where it can compete for a national championship.
“At the same time, being at Temple gives me the opportunity to help us to grow the sport. I look at Saturday night’s event and think back on the opportunities this sport has given me.
“It affords girls the opportunity and experiences for great things. I want our student-athletes to be prepared for life after college.”
Rosen said her greatest joy is seeing her former players become lacrosse coaches – at any level.
“If I had to pick one accomplishment, it would be seeing a number of people I coached get into coaching,” she said. “Quite a few of them have gone into it from the elementary level to middle school to college.”
Rosen also wished to thank US Lacrosse for holding the event.
“US Lacrosse puts on an incredible event,” she said. “I couldn’t have asked for a more wonderful and special evening for me.”
Rosen was a 13-year club player, winning the USWLA Tournament Championship with Philadelphia (1994) and New England (1998, 1999). Internationally, Rosen was a member of the U.S. Women’s National First Team (1992), their Elite Team 1993 to 2005, Touring Out Team (1996, 2000) and the Touring In Team (1999, 2004).
Rosen won gold at the 1997 and 2001 World Cup games. She was awarded the Beth Allen Award (1999) and was inducted into the US Lacrosse Connecticut Chapter Lacrosse Hall of Fame (2010), the US Lacrosse Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania Chapter Lacrosse Hall of Fame (2008), the Harriton High School Hall of Fame (2000) and the Philadelphia Jewish Sports Hall of Fame (2002).
