PLA Announces '09 Inductees

Hall of Fame Class Ready for February Induction

The Philadelphia Lacrosse Association is pleased to announce the Class of 2009 for induction into the Eastern Pennsylvania Lacrosse Hall of Fame. A stalwart group consisting of four men and five women will be inducted on February 7, 2009 at a dinner to be held at the Desmond Hotel in the Great Valley Corporate Center located in Malvern, PA. Ticket information may be obtained online, please click here. The group consists of the following lacrosse luminaries:

• JOHN BEGIER, a 1983 graduate of The Haverford School and a 1987 graduate of the University of Virginia, will be inducted as a “truly great player." John was named to the PSLA All-State team and was recognized as a High School Lacrosse All-American his senior year at Haverford. At the University of Virginia, where his teams won 3 consecutive ACC Championships, John was named as an honorable mention All-American in both 1985 and 1986. In his junior year, John helped lead the Cavaliers to the 1986 NCAA Final Four and scored a goal and an assist in the NCAA championship game. In his senior year, he played in the College North-South Senior All Star Game. As a collegiate defenseman and long stick middie, John redefined and revolutionized the position, instantly turning takeaways into offensive opportunities with his speed, agility and nose for the goal. He scored 30 career points (17 goals, 13 assists), which is believed to be the NCAA record for a defenseman or long stick middie. John was inducted into the Haverford School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2005. Currently, John is the head boy’s lacrosse coach at Radnor High School located in Radnor, PA.
• MARCIA BRUMBACH will be inducted as a “truly great coach”. During her 26 years as Head Girls Lacrosse Coach at Boyertown High School, her teams won 14 league championships and 6 PIAA District 1 Championships. Seven times during her coaching tenure at Boyertown, Marcia was recognized as the Pennsylvania Girls High School Lacrosse Coach of the Year. She is a 1966 graduate of Boyertown High School and a 1971 graduate of Concord College, WVA, and is a member of the Pottstown Sports Hall of Fame and the Concord College Sports Hall of Fame.
• GERTRUDE “GERTIE” DUNN will be inducted posthumously as a “truly great player”. Gertie was a graduate of Sharon Hill High School and West Chester University. She played 8 years for the Philly Club team and on the U.S. National team from 1956 to 1963. She also started and coached the teams at West Chester University, Friends School, and the University of Rhode Island. She has the distinction of being a member of three national halls of fame: Lacrosse, Field Hockey, and Softball.
• GEORGE A. KRUSE
will be inducted posthumously as a “truly great player who has contributed noteworthy service to the game of lacrosse in Pennsylvania”. While George began his career while growing up in Long Island, NY, George entered Kutztown University in the fall of 1973, and during his four years at KU he set numerous NCAA Division II scoring records. In a number of categories, his records are still tops in the NCAA record book. In 1976, George was selected to the NCAA Division II 1st Team. After his playing career, George went on to serve the game as head coach at Malvern Prep from 1987 to 1991. Over a period of 15 years, he also became a highly acclaimed referee at the high school, college, and club levels.
• RANDY MARKS will be inducted as a “truly great coach who has contributed noteworthy service to the game of lacrosse in Pennsylvania”. Randy never played lacrosse in high school (Haverford High ‘65) or college (West Chester University ‘69), but in 1983, after serving 11 years as an assistant coach at Lower Merion High School, he became the Men’s Lacrosse Head Coach at Villanova University, a part time position that he devoted a full time effort to for 24 years through the 2006 season. Year in and year out, Randy’s Villanova teams competed against and held their own against many of the top men’s lacrosse powers in the country all without the assistance of scholarships and a generous budget. From 2007, to the present, he is serving as the first full time assistant coach in the history of men’s lacrosse at Franklin & Marshall College. In 2003, Randy was recognized as the Central Atlantic Conference Coach of the Year, and in 2006, he was awarded the U.S. Intercollegiate Men’s Lacrosse Coaches Association Lifetime Coaching Award.
• JENNIFER O’DONNELL, a graduate of Upper Perkiomen High School and West Chester University, will be inducted as a “truly great official” in both the collegiate and international levels. In her 25 years of collegiate officiating, Jen has officiated 18 times in the NCAA Division I Final Four. In ten of those years, she has worked the NCAA Division I Championship Game. On the international front, Jen officiated in the U-19 World Championship held in Perth, Australia in 1999. Two times to date Jen has officiated in the Women’s World Cup Championship held in 2001, in Wycombe, England and in 2005, in Annapolis, MD.
• BONNIE ROSEN, a 1988 Harriton High School and a 1993 University of Virginia graduate, will be inducted as a “truly great player”. At UVA she was the captain and MVP of the 1992 Women’s NCAA Division I National Championship team, as well as a member of the Virginia team that captured the NCAA title in 1991. In international play, Bonnie was one of the USA’s most prominent players on the 1997, 2001, and 2005 World Cup Teams. Beyond her role as a player Bonnie was the first women’s lacrosse coach at the University of Connecticut serving from 1997 through the 2006 season. In August 2007, she was named Head Women’s Lacrosse Coach at Temple University and is currently preparing for her third season at Temple.
• GREG TRAYNOR will be inducted as a ”truly great player". Greg is one of the all time best players to have come out of Pennsylvania’s high school ranks. During his career at Conestoga High School, he was selected to the PA Scholastic Lacrosse Association First Team in both 1990 and 1991, and in 1990 he was selected to the High School Boys Lacrosse All American Team. Greg went on to have a distinguished playing career at the University of Virginia where in both 1994 and 1995, he was selected to the All ACC Team and as a 3rd Team All American. In international play, Greg was a valuable member of three world championship teams: the 1992 US Under 19 World Champions, the 1998 USA Men’s World Championship Team, and the 1999 USA World Cup Champions. On the professional level, Greg played in the National Lacrosse League for the Philadelphia Wings for 5 years and for three years in Major League Lacrosse one season each with the Boston Cannons, the Long Island Lizards, and the New Jersey Pride. In all three seasons, he was selected to play in the MLL All Star Game.
• MARGERY JOHNSTON WATSON will be inducted as a “truly great coach”. Marge began her involvement with lacrosse in the late 1940’s at Swarthmore High School where she played on two undefeated teams. While the college she attended and graduated from in 1952, Ursinus College, did not offer a women’s lacrosse program, but she would soon return to build a program that would rival the best in the country. In 1957 Marge took the initiative to begin the women’s varsity program at Ursinus College and was head coach until 1981. During her twenty-five year tenure she amassed a record of 199-19-9, which boasted an unprecedented seven undefeated and untied seasons. No team ever lost more than 3 games in a season. Additionally, her 1979 and 1981 teams advanced to the USWLA and AIAW Championship games.