Temple University Athletics
Lacrosse and Field Hockey Hall of Famer Anne Sage Passes Away
2.15.19 | Field Hockey, Women's Lacrosse
PHILADELPHIA - Anne Sage, a Temple lacrosse and field hockey standout and Temple Athletics Hall of Famer, passed away on February 14. Funeral arrangements are pending and will be updated on OwlSports.com when available.Â
Sage was a member of the U.S. National Women's Lacrosse Team from 1963-70. Her collegiate career at Temple saw her captain both the field hockey and women's lacrosse teams, twice earning All-American honors in lacrosse. She was named Temple's Outstanding Senior Athlete in 1967 and was inducted into the Temple Athletics Hall of Fame in 1987. Her high school career at Abington High School in Pennsylvania saw her dominate at field hockey, basketball and lacrosse. She was Abington's Outstanding Female Athlete as a senior and would earn induction into Abington's Athletics Hall of Fame.Â
Legendary former coach and Temple Hall of Famer Tina Sloan Green led the Owls after Sage's playing days, but was a colleague of hers and remained a good friend throughout the years.
"Anne was a real pioneer and change agent in her own right," said Sloan Green, "especially going to Abington and Temple and then the Ivy League. She made a huge difference in the Ivy League for women's sports and paved the way for a lot of folks. She was a leader when it came to Title IX and stepping up to make positive changes. She'll be really missed. She was a great friend. We had a lot of fun and laughter but she was also very serious and determined when it came to women in sport. She cared about her student-athletes and also made sure her own children lived a really purposeful life."
"Anne was truly a force of nature in personality and as a leader in women's sports," said current Temple lacrosse head coach Bonnie Rosen. "I first got to know Anne as a mother of one of my teammates at UVA but it was during my years as a young assistant that I truly experienced 'Sage.' She was a passionate and knowledgeable coach who had a great sense of humor. She was the type of colleague who challenged the status quo but at the same time really valued and respected the history of the sport. I am so grateful for having had the opportunity to know and be influenced by Anne."
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In her professional career, Sage served as head field hockey coach at the University of Pennsylvania for 24 seasons and head women's lacrosse coach for 26 in her role as Director of Field Hockey and Lacrosse. She is just one of three head coaches all-time for both programs – amassing 339 total wins during her time patrolling the sidelines. Her 178-115-32 record as field hockey head coach still ranks her as the all-time winningest coach in program history and her 151 wins with women's lacrosse have been surpassed only by current head coach Karin Corbett.
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The first head coach of Penn's varsity field hockey and women's lacrosse teams, Sage was instrumental in the formation of both programs. She had a winning record in 20 of her 24 field hockey seasons and won 10+ games six times in her career. After the addition of field hockey as an Ivy League sport in 1979, Sage won seven Ivy League championships in 16 seasons, only finishing lower than third once. In 1988, she was named Coach of the Year by the Philadelphia Sportswriters Association.
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Her teams advanced to the field hockey postseason 10 times, including a run to the 1988 NCAA Final Four which her program proudly hosted at Franklin Field. Her program were a fixture in the Top-20, completing nine seasons with Top-20 national rankings with a high of No. 4 in 1988. Six Quakers earned All-American honors during her time as field hockey coach, five were named Ivy League Player of the Year, and 48 were recognized as first-team All-Ivy selections.
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In the spring, Sage continued her success as head coach of the women's lacrosse team. She coached the program's first Ivy League championship in 1982, and four of her teams reached the postseason including AIAW semifinal appearances in 1980 and 1982 before NCAA Tournament runs in 1983 and 1984. Her teams would finish in the Top-20 on five occasions during her time as head coach. She guided 10 women's lacrosse All-Americans and 27 of her players earned All-Ivy honors, including one Ivy League Player of the Year and three Ivy League Rookies of the Year.
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Sage not only broke ground for women as student-athletes at Penn, she championed causes in every walk of life. In 1990, Sage was awarded both Coach of the Year by the March of Dimes and the 1995 Robert Davies Award (along with her fellow Penn coaches) for Promoting Social Change and Social Justice at the University of Pennsylvania and beyond.
Release courtesy of PennAthletics.com
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Sage was a member of the U.S. National Women's Lacrosse Team from 1963-70. Her collegiate career at Temple saw her captain both the field hockey and women's lacrosse teams, twice earning All-American honors in lacrosse. She was named Temple's Outstanding Senior Athlete in 1967 and was inducted into the Temple Athletics Hall of Fame in 1987. Her high school career at Abington High School in Pennsylvania saw her dominate at field hockey, basketball and lacrosse. She was Abington's Outstanding Female Athlete as a senior and would earn induction into Abington's Athletics Hall of Fame.Â
Legendary former coach and Temple Hall of Famer Tina Sloan Green led the Owls after Sage's playing days, but was a colleague of hers and remained a good friend throughout the years.
"Anne was a real pioneer and change agent in her own right," said Sloan Green, "especially going to Abington and Temple and then the Ivy League. She made a huge difference in the Ivy League for women's sports and paved the way for a lot of folks. She was a leader when it came to Title IX and stepping up to make positive changes. She'll be really missed. She was a great friend. We had a lot of fun and laughter but she was also very serious and determined when it came to women in sport. She cared about her student-athletes and also made sure her own children lived a really purposeful life."
"Anne was truly a force of nature in personality and as a leader in women's sports," said current Temple lacrosse head coach Bonnie Rosen. "I first got to know Anne as a mother of one of my teammates at UVA but it was during my years as a young assistant that I truly experienced 'Sage.' She was a passionate and knowledgeable coach who had a great sense of humor. She was the type of colleague who challenged the status quo but at the same time really valued and respected the history of the sport. I am so grateful for having had the opportunity to know and be influenced by Anne."
Â
In her professional career, Sage served as head field hockey coach at the University of Pennsylvania for 24 seasons and head women's lacrosse coach for 26 in her role as Director of Field Hockey and Lacrosse. She is just one of three head coaches all-time for both programs – amassing 339 total wins during her time patrolling the sidelines. Her 178-115-32 record as field hockey head coach still ranks her as the all-time winningest coach in program history and her 151 wins with women's lacrosse have been surpassed only by current head coach Karin Corbett.
Â
The first head coach of Penn's varsity field hockey and women's lacrosse teams, Sage was instrumental in the formation of both programs. She had a winning record in 20 of her 24 field hockey seasons and won 10+ games six times in her career. After the addition of field hockey as an Ivy League sport in 1979, Sage won seven Ivy League championships in 16 seasons, only finishing lower than third once. In 1988, she was named Coach of the Year by the Philadelphia Sportswriters Association.
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Her teams advanced to the field hockey postseason 10 times, including a run to the 1988 NCAA Final Four which her program proudly hosted at Franklin Field. Her program were a fixture in the Top-20, completing nine seasons with Top-20 national rankings with a high of No. 4 in 1988. Six Quakers earned All-American honors during her time as field hockey coach, five were named Ivy League Player of the Year, and 48 were recognized as first-team All-Ivy selections.
Â
In the spring, Sage continued her success as head coach of the women's lacrosse team. She coached the program's first Ivy League championship in 1982, and four of her teams reached the postseason including AIAW semifinal appearances in 1980 and 1982 before NCAA Tournament runs in 1983 and 1984. Her teams would finish in the Top-20 on five occasions during her time as head coach. She guided 10 women's lacrosse All-Americans and 27 of her players earned All-Ivy honors, including one Ivy League Player of the Year and three Ivy League Rookies of the Year.
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Sage not only broke ground for women as student-athletes at Penn, she championed causes in every walk of life. In 1990, Sage was awarded both Coach of the Year by the March of Dimes and the 1995 Robert Davies Award (along with her fellow Penn coaches) for Promoting Social Change and Social Justice at the University of Pennsylvania and beyond.
Release courtesy of PennAthletics.com
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