Perry Rothrock Crosswhite
AM[ (born 22 September 1947) is a former Australian Olympic basketballer and leading sport administrator.
]
Personal
He was born on 22 September 1947 in Washington, D.C. He moved to Australia in 1969 to play basketball.[ He married Janice Steel in 1970.][ He was naturalised in 1971.][ His wife Janice Crosswhite plays a major role in the promotion of women's sport in Australia and overseas.] They have three daughters and a son.[ Two of his children, ]Ian
Ian or Iain is a name of Scottish Gaelic origin, derived from the Hebrew given name (Yohanan, ') and corresponding to the English name John. The spelling Ian is an Anglicization of the Scottish Gaelic forename ''Iain''. It is a popular name in Sc ...
and Anna, have played high level basketball in Australia.
Basketball career
Crosswhite played collegiate basketball (1966β1969) at Davidson College
Davidson College is a private liberal arts college in Davidson, North Carolina. It was established in 1837 by the Concord Presbytery and named after Revolutionary War general William Lee Davidson, who was killed at the nearby Battle of Cowanβ ...
for coach Lefty Driesell
Charles Grice "Lefty" Driesell (born December 25, 1931) is a retired American college basketball coach. He was the first coach to win more than 100 games at four different NCAA Division I schools, Driesell led the programs of Davidson College, t ...
. After Davidson, he moved to Australia in 1969 to play for Melbourne Tigers
Melbourne United is an Australian professional basketball team based in Melbourne, Victoria. United compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at John Cain Arena.
The team made their debut in the NBL in 1984 as ...
that were coached by Lindsay Gaze
Lindsay John Casson Gaze (born 16 August 1936) is an Australian former basketball player and coach.
He played for Australia in three Summer Olympics qualification tournaments, between 1960 and 1968, and was the head coach of the senior Austr ...
.[ He represented Australia at three Olympics β 1972 Munich, 1976 Montreal and 1980 Moscow.][ He captained the team at the 1976 and 1980 Games.][ He was captain of the Australian team at the ]1974 FIBA World Championship
The 1974 FIBA World Championship was the 7th FIBA World Championship, the international basketball world championship for men's teams. It was hosted by Puerto Rico from July 3 to 14, 1974. The tournament was won by the Soviet Union.
Venues
Comp ...
.[ He played over 300 games for Australia.][ He was a member of the Victorian teams that won four national championship tournaments in 1971, 1973, 1975 and, 1979.][
]
Sport Administration career
Early career
He was a secondary teacher with the Victorian Education Department from 1969 to 1973.[ Between 1973 and 1979, he was a Recreation/Sport Officer with the Victorian Department of Youth, Sport and Recreation.][ He was the first professional Recreation/Sport Officer employed by the Department.][ He held senior management positions with Department of Youth, Sport and Recreation between 1979 and 1983.][ In 1983, he moved to ]Canberra
Canberra ( )
is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...
to take up a senior management position with the Department of Tourism and Recreation.[ He joined the Department when the ]Australian Government
The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government, is the national government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Like other Westminster-style systems of government, the Australian Government i ...
started its serious involvement in the development of sport, which included the establishment of the Australian Institute of Sport
The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) is a high performance sports training institution in Australia. The Institute's headquarters were opened in 1981 and are situated in the northern suburb of Bruce, Canberra. The AIS is a division of the ...
(AIS) in 1981.[
]
Australian Sports Commission
He moved to the newly established Australian Sports Commission
The Australian Sports Commission (ASC) is the Australian Government commission responsible for supporting and investing in sport in Australia. The Commission incorporates the Australian Institute of Sport. From 2018 to 2022, it was known as Sp ...
(ASC) in 1984 and remained with that organisation until 1990. He held senior management positions including Assistant general manager from 1984 to 1987. He acted as general manager and Executive Director between 1987 and 1990 while the AIS was being merged with the ASC.[ While at the ASC, he played a major role in the development of sports participation programs including the Aussie Sport program for children.][
]
Australian Olympic Committee
In 1991, he became first Executive Director of the Australian Olympic Committee
Australian(s) may refer to:
Australia
* Australia, a country
* Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia
** European Australians
** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists
** Aboriginal Aus ...
(AOC).[ During his time at the AOC, he was responsible for organising three Australian Olympic Teams β 1992 Barcelona Summer Games, 1992 Albertville Winter Games and 1994 Lillehammer Winter Games.][ He was also heavily involved in Australia's successful bid in 1993 to host the ]2000 Sydney Olympics
The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 (Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from 1 ...
.[ Between 1993 and 1995, he was a member of the ]Sydney Organising Committee for the Olympic Games
The Sydney Organising Committee for the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, or SOCOG, also known as the Sydney Organising Committee, was an informal name for the Sydney Organising Committee for the Games of the XXVII Olympiad. The President of SOCOG wa ...
(SOCOG).[ During his time at the AOC, the organisation and elite sport became more professional and organised.][
]
Australian Commonwealth Games Federation
In 1995, he became the Australian Commonwealth Games Association
Commonwealth Games Australia (CGA) is the Commonwealth Games Association for Australia, and is responsible for representing and promoting the Commonwealth Sport movement in the country, and organises the participation of athletes at the Commonwea ...
's first general manager.[ In this role, he was responsible for the organisation of Australian Teams at the 1998 Kuala Lumpur Games, 2002 Manchester Games, 2006 Melbourne Games and 2010 Delhi Games.][ He played a pivotal role in Australia's successful bid for the 2006 Melbourne Games and the 2018 Gold Coast Games. He is currently a board member of the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Corporation.]
He was also a member of the Organising Committee of II Commonwealth Youth Games in Bendigo 2004.[ He has been a member of several ]Commonwealth Games Federation
The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF), currently known as Commonwealth Sport, is the international organisation responsible for the direction and control of the Commonwealth Games and Commonwealth Youth Games, and is governing body of the ...
Committees.[ He retired from the Association in July 2015 and his replacement was Craig Phillips.
]
Recognition
*1998 β Australian Sports Administrator of the Year
*2000 β Australian Sports Medal
The Australian Sports Medal is an award given to recognise achievements in Australian sport to commemorate Australian participation in major sporting events. Original recipients of the award included competitors, coaches, sports scientists, offi ...
*2003 β Inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame
The Sport Australia Hall of Fame was established on 10 December 1985 to recognise the achievements of Australian sportsmen and sportswomen. The inaugural induction included 120 members with Sir Don Bradman as the first inductee and Dawn Fraser th ...
as an administrator.
*2007 β Member of the Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...
(AM) β for service to sport, particularly through executive roles with the Commonwealth and Olympic Games organisations, and to basketball as a competitor at national and international levels.[
*2016 - ]Basketball Australia
Basketball Australia is the governing and controlling body of basketball in Australia, responsible for the development and promotion of the sport at all levels.
Basketball Australia sanctions Australia's two professional leagues, the Nation ...
Hall of Fame.
*Life Member Commonwealth Games Australia
Commonwealth Games Australia (CGA) is the Commonwealth Games Association for Australia, and is responsible for representing and promoting the Commonwealth Sport movement in the country, and organises the participation of athletes at the Commonwea ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Crosswhite, Perry
1947 births
Living people
American emigrants to Australia
Australia at the Commonwealth Games
Australian men's basketball players
1974 FIBA World Championship players
Australian Olympic Committee administrators
Australian sports executives and administrators
Basketball players at the 1972 Summer Olympics
Basketball players at the 1976 Summer Olympics
Basketball players at the 1980 Summer Olympics
Basketball players from Washington, D.C.
Davidson Wildcats men's basketball players
Melbourne Tigers players
Members of the Order of Australia
Olympic basketball players for Australia
Recipients of the Australian Sports Medal
Sport Australia Hall of Fame inductees
Commonwealth Games Australia officials