Gallagher Inducted Into Hall of Fame

As the head football coach at Montville High School for the past 14 seasons, Gerry Gallagher has left an indelible imprint not only on the field, but also in the community as a whole.

And on Monday at the North-South All-Star Football Classic at Kean University, Gallagher’s impact was recognized as he was inducted into the New Jersey Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

A coach for 38 years, which includes stints as both an assistant and head coach at Morris Catholic; offensive coordinator at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania; head coach at both St. Francis College of Loretto and William Patterson University, Gallagher has kept his philosophy simple and to the point.

“Our philosophy goes beyond football,” he explained on Monday at Kean. “It’s about kids getting their priorities in order. God first, their family second, their schoolwork third, football fourth, and making sure that they understand where social life fits in there. If it goes above those, then you’re in trouble.”

After graduating from Morris Catholic High School, where he played football for four years and was a senior captain, Gallagher went on to play football at the collegiate level, playing for the inaugural football team at William Patterson University.

A man with loads of football distinctions, Gallagher also holds the honor of scoring the first two touchdowns in the school’s history.

Like a lot of great coaches, if you ask Gallagher what made his 14 seasons at Montville such a success, he’s quick to divert any and all credit to the people who surrounded him during that time.

“I’ve been very fortunate to be around good kids and good coaches,” said Gallagher, who was named Coach of the Year in 2006. “My coaching staff pretty much has been the same since [1997], it’s not a staff, it’s more of a family, a bunch of brothers, so I’ve been very fortunate.”

While the modest coach isn’t certain of his career record at Montville, saying, “It’s not something that I ever kept track of,” putting a competitive team on the field each season was a goal that he believes he accomplished. 

“Year in and year out, we were competitive,” he said. “I don’t care what our record was, people knew you better be ready when Montville comes to play, and that’s a tribute to our kids and our coaches.”

The distinction of being inducted into the Hall of Fame puts the Mustang coach in good company and for that, he's honored.

“I don’t know if it means that I’m old, or whatever, but it’s very rewarding,” Gallagher said. “Especially when you’re selected by your peers for what you’ve done. But it’s very meaningful for me, especially at this stage in my career and all.”

Gallagher, who is also a member of the William Patterson Hall of Fame, retired from his tenure at Montville at the end of the 2011 season, and will move on to Boonton High in 2012, where he will step in as an assistant under his son Bryan, an ex-assistant coach at Montville High.