BOSTON (June 4, 2002) -- The Boston Celtics announced today that Joe Gallagher has been hired as an assistant coach. Gallagher, who boasts three decades of coaching experience on the collegiate level, joins Jim O'Brien's staff, which includes John Carroll, Lester Conner, Dick Harter and Frank Vogel.
"Joe Gallagher is an excellent teacher of post play," said O'Brien. "He has been dedicated to player development for many years and his addition will
pay dividends."
"This is a great opportunity for myself and my family," said Gallagher. "I've known Coach O'Brien for years, and I'm familiar with most of the staff. I look forward to coaching the highest level of basketball in the world."
Gallagher recently completed his third year as an assistant coach at Campbell University, where he served as recruiting coordinator and oversaw
the development of Campbell's post players.
A native of Philadelphia, Gallagher is a 1968 graduate of Pembroke State (now UNC Pembroke) and the recipient of his master's degree from East
Carolina in 1974. Gallagher has served as head coach at Methodist College, where he was named Dixie Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in each of his two seasons (1973-75). He then moved on to Pembroke State for three years (1975-78). Including a one-year stint as head coach and athletic director at Belmont Abbey College in 1991-92, Gallagher's collegiate head coaching record stands at 91-69.
Following his tenure at Pembroke State, Gallagher left to become assistant coach at the University of Richmond, where he had a direct influence on the
Spider teams that made two NCAA Tournament appearances and also received a pair of NIT berths. The 1984 Richmond squad, under the direction of Head Coach Dick Tarrant, advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tourney and in the process eliminated an Auburn squad that included future NBA stars Charles Barkley and Chuck Person.
In 1986, Gallagher joined the staff at Boston College for a five-year tenure. He then returned to Richmond for another five-year stint before moving to UNC Greensboro from 1996-99.
During his playing career, Gallagher averaged 20.0 points and 13.3 rebounds per game in four years at Pembroke State. He was selected for the NAIA
Olympic Trials in 1968 and was drafted in the second round by the Kentucky Colonels of the American Basketball Association. A 1980 inductee into the
Pembroke State Athletics Hall of Fame, his jersey number 24 has been retired.
Gallagher graduated from Lincoln Preparatory School in Philadelphia, PA in 1964 after serving in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1960-64. He received his
honorable discharge with a rank of corporal. He and his wife Sharon have one daughter, Christy.