Dan Cross is a former All American basketball player who attended the University of Florida, and earned a bachelor’s degree in Communications. As a member of the first team to ever advance to the Final Four in school history, Dan was inducted into the University of Florida’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2006. In 2007, Dan was awarded the Regions Bank Business Salute which honors former student-athletes from the South Eastern Conference who go on to run successful businesses.
In 2008 he received the SEC Basketball Legends Award and was honored as Orlando Business Journal’s “Top 40 Under 40 Businessmen”. Dan is currently Founder of Athlete Connections Foundation. In addition, he has done color commentary for University of Florida Basketball and directs youth fundamental sports programs in the summer. Dan has done contracted through the City of Orlando Family Parks and Recreation to assist in developing youth sports programs.
While pursuing a dream to play in the NBA, Dan played professionally in the US minor leagues including the CBA, ABA, and USBL. He went on to play in countries such as Greece, Italy, Turkey, Finland, Cyprus, Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Israel and many others.
In 2006, after finding a common void in sports around the world, Dan Cross founded Athlete Connections Foundation www.acforyouth.org, a non profit organization that is designed to enhance youth sports by providing programs that teach life skills in preparation for life and a career after sports. Our vision is a proven program focused on character development and life skills education..