A Coaching Life Along With Running
November 14, 2002

By Sherri Trent, AU Sports Information

On Saturday, Nov. 23, the NCAA Division II cross country championships come to Ashland. No one knows yet who the leaders on the course will be. But, everyone knows who’s the leader in putting the championships together. That would be AU’s head cross country and track and field coach Bill Gallagher.

Gallagher has 22 years of coaching under his belt and under his watch, the AU running program has produced 212 All-America honors.

Gallagher was at Ashland during one of the lowest points of AU running, back when there were not even enough people to field a cross country team in the fall of 1980. He was also at AU when the women’s cross country and track and field teams first began in 1982.

Through his huge involvement in recruiting, he built the foundation for the running program. Throughout his tenure, Gallagher has been a great asset to the university and its commitment to excellence.

“Bill Gallagher is the total package when talking about what you want a coach to be,” said AU athletic director Bill Goldring. “I have the greatest respect in the world for what he accomplishes on many levels - athletics, integrity, and his personal reputation in achieving success with great student-athletes.”

All of the success his athletes have had, in both cross country and track and field, has gained Gallagher immense respect on and off campus. He is known for producing the outstanding athletes that pour out of Ashland.

“I attribute the recognition the program receives to Coach Gallagher and his reputation for coaching great student-athletes,” said AU President Dr. G. William Benz.

While it’s no secret what Gallagher can do as a coach, he does admit that he has not always been the coach that he is now. He describes his coaching style when he first started as being somewhat dictator-like, but he soon realized the reason he went into coaching was not to play drill sergeant to his athletes.

“I truly wanted to work with students who had an intrinsic ambition to develop and excel,” said Gallagher.

Gallagher uses his knowledge of human physiology to drive his athletes to new heights. AU runner and four-time All-America Nick Cordes describes Gallagher as teaching him the great underlying core and framework of how to train, compete and develop as a runner. But along with these successes, every runner experiences shortcomings. Every athlete has ups and downs and it falls upon the coach to elevate the runner.

“Through injuries, bad races, bad workouts, when it just didn’t look like things were going the way we wanted them to, he was always positive about it. He never gave up on me and did not let me give up on myself,” said former AU runner Katy Saul.

Gallagher exudes a great deal of support for his athletes, in a sense making them an extended part of his family. Many athletes current and former agree that his support is phenomenal.

“He has supported me through each aspect of my life, as a runner, coach, and wife,” said Gallagher’s wife, Deb, a member of the first AU women’s cross country team and the current cross country at Ashland High School. “Everyone needs that support sometimes when you can’t see the goal, he gives you more perspective on your goals at hand. I feel that I can’t do him justice for all the guidance he has given me.”

Former AU runner and four-time All-America Kelly (Kish) Owens also made note of Gallagher’s never-ending support. He would never leave her side when life and running would get her down. Gallagher has helped many student-athletes grow as an athlete and as a person. His concern about his athletes is well known.

“He genuinely cares about his athletes, both athletically and in their own lives. He has done more for me than just coach, he has also been a good friend,” said Cordes.

In many regards Gallagher sets himself apart from other coaches with his character and love for his teams.

“Gallagher is the most passionately loyal coach I have ever met,” said former AU runner and six-time All-America Eric Berry. “He puts his heart on the track with his athletes every time one of them runs.”

Deb Gallagher describes him as caring very deeply for those that he works side-by-side with and his athletes. Cordes also expressed how Gallagher cares about his runners and not merely the results.

Another characteristic of Gallagher that is very prominent in every aspect of his life is his perfectionism. Maybe his achievements go back to his way of never settling until the last detail is perfect.

“He always expects the best out of himself and others,” said Deb Gallagher.

Although he seems to have mastered every responsibility of his job, it does not come without a certain knack for exactness. He has never been one to be happy with anything less than the very best as those around him now and those from the past agree.

“In putting meets together, he spends so much time making sure everything is perfect - the course, the footing and all the organization. He works until he knows it is perfect for the people coming to compete,” said Saul.

Gallagher is also known for his intensity. He gives all he has to make sure that his athletes’ goals will be reached.

“His non-compromising intensity to succeed was more evident in his decisions he made rather than the words he spoke, which is an extremely powerful and honest way to convey his message,” said Berry.

Along with this intensity comes his dedication to his family and runners. His devotion to all those who he is close to is one of his most admirable qualities.

“His dedication is what motivates others to be as dedicated with achieving their dreams. He would do almost anything for his runners and his runners would do the same,” said Owens.

All of Gallagher’s accomplishments go back to his love for what he does. He describes the best part of his job as simply talking with students. He has had so many successes with his athletes both on and off the track.

“While there are many great moments of my career, to assign one cheats the rest,” said Gallagher.

No student-athlete who’s worked him ever feels cheated. The impact Gallagher has had on so many lives is incredible. He continues to reach out to the athletes of today just as he did to the athletes of yesterday.