Asst. Sports Editor
Feb. 25, 2010
Photo by Nick Phillips
Former UNCP men’s basketball player Joe Gallagher was joined at his reception by his wife, Sharon, and family members. Gallagher’s jersey was officially retired by UNCP at the Feb. 13 dinner.
UNCP honored one of its all-time greats on Feb. 13, as Joe Gallagher, who holds the school’s basketball all time scoring record, returned home to a reception in his honor.
Despite the snow that forced the cancellation of the Braves men’s and women’s basketball games, a large number of Gallagher’s former teammates and players, as well as family and friends, were in attendance.
Among the evening’s speakers were UNCP Chancellor Charles Jenkins, UNCP Director of Athletics Dan Kenney and Gallagher. Kenney served as an assistant coach for Gallagher’s teams in the 1970s. Also in attendance were current UNCP head basketball coaches Ben Miller and John Haskins.
The highlight of the night was the presentation of Gallagher’s actual, game-worn jersey, which was framed with UNCP colors and presented to Gallagher by Chancellor Jenkins, Kenney and Miller. The jersey had been sitting in university archives prior to being presented to Gallagher
Along with the presentation of the jersey, Gallagher’s number 24 was officially retired by the university. His jersey had been retired since 1970, but there was never a formal announcement.
On a surprising note, a group of Gallagher’s former teammates announced they would be starting the Joe Gallagher Athletic Scholarship fund to help one of UNCP’s athletes each year.
“Today is one of the great days in the life of the university, celebrating the success of one of our alumni and a great basketball player, but more than anything a great ambassador for the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, since really 1964. The scholarship will continue to be a great part of that tradition,” Chancellor Jenkins said.
“With the turnout, you can see today that this represented so much to so many people and it brought back a time, an era, which is very special for the University,” Chancellor Jenkins added.
Kenney talked about the friendships that were created long ago on the campus of UNCP and how the honoring of Gallagher attests to the friendships that hold strong today.
“Here are some guys that all played and went to school together in the 60s, and that Pembroke bond has never been broken. And, you can see that it’s genuine and it’s all because of how Joe is,” Kenney said.
During his stint as a player from 1964 to 1968, Gallagher set school records with the best scoring average, averaging 25.6 points per game, and the best rebounding average, averaging 14.5 rebounds per game. Gallagher also holds UNCP’s highest basketball honor. With a total of 2,161 points, Gallagher remains the school’s all-time leading scorer.
After being drafted by the Kentucky Colonels of the American Basketball Association upon graduation in 1968, GallagherSunday, February 28, 2010ate coaching experience. He returned to Pembroke to coach his alma mater from 1975 to 1978. Gallagher also previously coached in the National Basketball Association with the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers.
Gallagher, a Philadelphia native, served four years in the United States Marine Corps and was honorably discharged in 1964. He currently lives in Myrtle Beach, S.C., with his wife, Sharon.
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