Pete Cross

Class

1970
Honors

Men's Basketball (1967-1970)

Center
USF Career Years: 1967–1970
Birthdate: March 28, 1948
Hometown: Bakersfield, CA
High School: Bakersfield High School

Peter Michael Cross was born in Kassel, Germany, on March 28, 1948, to a United States Army serviceman and a German mother. Prior to 1950, the family moved to Bakersfield, California, and Cross played basketball for the Bakersfield High School Drillers from 1961 to 1965. His senior year, he held a 31 single-game rebounding record for them, and a .67 FG%. His former high school coach, Duane Anderson said of him: “He was an extremely coachable individual. He was a hard worker, sometimes too hard. I had to chase him off the floor (Bakersfield Californian).”

At 6' 9", 230 lbs., Cross played as a center for the USF men’s basketball team from 1967 to 1970. He lettered for more than three years for the Dons and is one of three Hall of Fame centers from the 1960s. Considered unselfish at passing, his offensive weapons were jump shots and long hook shots from outside the box. He scored 30 points or more in ten games during his collegiate career. Selected twice as a West Coast Athletic Conference All-Star, he was at that time, the second leading scorer in WCAC history. During his junior year, he averaged 16.0 rebounds per game which was ninth in the nation, and averaged 24.6 points, which broke Ollie Johnson's 21.6 record from 1965, and was 19th in the nation. He also set a single-season WCAC scoring record of 367 points in 14 games (26.2 PPG), and field goals made at 138.

His senior year he averaged 21.3 points, and 18.0 rebounds per game. He excelled at rebounds, and finished his career third on the Don’s all time rebounding per game list (14.3) and third in scoring average (18.4) behind Bill Russell, and Ollie Johnson. He finished his time at USF with a total of 1415 points and 1104 rebounds. Cross won the Green and Gold award for basketball in 1970.

Cross was selected by the Seattle Supersonics in Round 2 (23^rd pick overall) of the 1970 NBA Draft, and by the Kentucky Colonels that same year in the ABA Draft. He was signed by Seattle as a rookie to a multi-year contract. He was selected to play as a power forward, but when fellow player Bob Rule had an early season injury, he was assigned to play center earlier in the season than expected. In his first professional appearance, he posted 8 points and 12 rebounds, a rookie rebounding record. He played 22 games in which he had 16 or more rebounds, with a high of 23 points and 25 rebounds in a 121-118 win over Portland on January 1, 1971 at Seattle. According to Seattle publicist Hal Childs. "Pete is really doing an outstanding job. He was thrown into a tough situation, and has quickly come through. The fans are really taking to him (SupersonicsAthletics)."

He set a single season rebounding rookie record of 949 in 79 games, averaging 12.0 RPG, one every 2.3 minutes, which remained unsurpassed for three decades, until the franchise relocated to Oklahoma City in 2008.

His first season, only Lenny Wilkins and Dick Snyder had more playing time. Player-Coach Lenny Wilkins, in the 1971-1972 Supersonics Media Book, is quoted as follows: “When Pete is in the lineup we can be assured of our share of rebounds.” In 1970, Cross told the Tacoma News Tribune: “Shooting was not my game. Rebounding is more fun. The big thing I’ve had to adjust to is the contact. I have to learn what I can do, and get away with.”

Cross was involved in NBA camps such as the ones at the University of Puget Sound. Speaking to the Tacoma News Tribune about his experiences with the kids, he said: “The clinic was just lots of fun. I worked with them on hook shots. Then in the next scrimmage, two of my kids went down the floor and made the first hooks they took. It made me feel good to think maybe I had helped them. It’s no great secret that many of the pro players today place more emphasis on individual play than on team play. They look at the statistics and use them as a basis for their salary demands. I stressed the importance of teamwork. There’s too much emphasis on the one-on-one game. There’s more to basketball than that.”

In August, 1972, he and forward Don Kojis were traded to the Kansas City Kings in a package exchange for center Jim Fox, but Cross played in only three games for them due to a knee injury. In December, 1972, the Kings placed him on waivers, and two days later he was reacquired by Seattle. He played in what was to be his last game as a Sonic against the Phoenix Suns on March 28, 1973. In September, 1973, shortly after surgery for a foot injury, he announced his retirement from the Supersonics. He told the Tacoma News Tribune: “Basketball has lost a lot for me. I always felt it was a team game, but today it’s gone beyond that. I didn’t make my decision hastily, but thought about it a long time.”

He became a free agent in July, 1973. As a Sonic, he appeared in 182 games, averaging 5.8 PPG, 8.3 RPG, a 43.3 FG%, and a 69.5 FT%. Following his NBA career, he played for the Iberian Superstars from 1974-1975. The largely American-owned European Professional Basketball League folded after only one season due to opposition from the European Basketball Authorities. After his playing career, he worked as a manager for the Trans-America Title Insurance Company.

He was inducted into the USF Hall of Fame in 1979 and into the Kern County Hall of Fame on February 18, 1993.