US Lacrosse has named Tom Flatley and Agnes “Aggie” Stegmuller (posthumous) as the recipients of the organization’s 2019 US Lacrosse Lifetime Achievement Awards, recognizing outstanding career contributions and impact to the sport of lacrosse.
Flatley, who lives in Floral Park, New York, served the game in numerous capacities from 1971 through his retirement in 2009. As a high school head coach, he piloted the Sewanhaka varsity lacrosse team for seven seasons, compiling a 114-18 record and winning the Nassau County and Long Island Championship in 1981.
Flatley also served a combined 30 seasons as the junior varsity head coach at Sewanhaka and Garden City High Schools. In 22 seasons at Garden City, his teams compiled a 300-29-1 record for a winning percentage of over 91%. Flatley also recorded 214 wins as Garden City’s varsity football coach over a span of 25 years, winning 15 Nassau County championships. His .846 winning percentage was the highest in New York among football coaches with 200 wins or more.
On the international level, Flatley was head coach of the 1982 U.S. Men’s Team that won the world lacrosse championship, and he served as general manager of the U.S. U19 Men’s Team from 1988 through 2008, winning six world titles and amassing a 36-0 overall record.
Flatley’s career also includes service as general manager with the professional New York Saints indoor lacrosse team, and as a coach on the club level. He served on the USCLA’s rules advisory committee for many years and was president of the Long Island Summer Lacrosse Association from 1970-1985. Flatley has been inducted into four Halls of Fame, including the Long Island-Metro Lacrosse Hall of Fame, Sewanhaka High School Hall of Fame, and Garden City High School Hall of Fame.
Stegmuller, who passed away in 2010 at 87 years of age, is being honored posthumously for nearly five decades of service to the sport. A former four-sport athlete (badminton, basketball, field hockey, and softball) at Temple University, she began her association with lacrosse as an adult and served the sport as a women’s game umpire for 48 years.
A resident of Aldan, Pennsylvania, Stegmuller was a fixture as a highly-regarded official at Philadelphia-area schoolgirl games. She umpired state championship games in Pennsylvania and umpired at the USWLA’s National Tournament. In 1995, she received the PIAA’s award for 25 years of outstanding officiating service. Lacrosse was one of five sports she served as a game official.
Off the field, her service included leadership roles for many years on the USWLA’s Umpire Committee as well as on the organization’s executive committee. She also served as an intercollegiate official, including assignments at the AIAW Championships.
Stegmuller earned two degrees from Temple University and received the school’s Conwell Society Award in 2001. The award recognizes Temple’s most generous and loyal friends and alumni. She endowed a scholarship for kinesiology students and contributed annually to the Owl Club in support of student-athletes. Additionally, she served as a member of the board of trustees’ athletic committee, and on the board of directors of the Owl Club.
Stegmuller has been inducted into five Hall of Fames, including both the Delaware County (Pa.) Athletics Hall of Fame and the Temple University Athletics Hall of Fame in 1984, and the Pennsylvania State Hall of Fame in 1999.
“It is our distinct honor to periodically recognize outstanding career contribution in lacrosse,” said US Lacrosse CEO Steve Stenersen. “The impact that Aggie and Tom have had on our sport is only exceeded by the humility and selflessness that defined their involvement.”
Primary criteria for US Lacrosse Lifetime Achievement consideration include the following:
- Outstanding accomplishment as a player, coach, administrator or official in combination with participation and leadership activities in local, regional, and national lacrosse organizations over the span of a career.
- Demonstrated commitment to the sport of lacrosse that exceeds the norm.
- Demonstrated passion and vision for the sport of lacrosse through action.
- Character beyond reproach.
The US Lacrosse Men’s and Women’s Game Hall of Fame Subcommittees make the selections for the US Lacrosse Lifetime Achievement Award, which must be approved by the organization’s board of directors. Prior recipients of the award are Jackie Pitts, Mat Levine, Elaine Knobloch, and Warren Kimber.
About US Lacrosse
US Lacrosse, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, is the national governing body of lacrosse and the home of the nation’s fastest-growing sport, with 450,000 members nationwide. Through responsive and effective leadership, US Lacrosse provides programs and services to inspire participation while protecting the integrity of the sport.
