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Alumnus’ gift honors his mother while helping Skyhawks men’s basketball
Nancy Gallagher |
Coming off a year where they won the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) regular season championship and earned a third straight invitation to the NCAA Division II Playoffs, the Skyhawks men’s basketball team invests a lot of time and work in finding success. Now one of the Skyhawks’ fans is investing in the team.
Dan Gallagher (Business Administration, ’89), a former Fort Lewis College basketball player himself, is creating a scholarship program to help future members of the Skyhawks men’s basketball team earn their education and contribute on the court. The scholarship, called the Nancy Elizabeth Gallagher Basketball Scholarship, is named in honor of Dan’s mother who was such a strong advocate for her son during his college days.
“Throughout her life my mom loved to support her kids and many other kids in their activities and basketball was at the top of the list,” Dan recalls. “She was an avid supporter of FLC basketball during my three years at the college, rarely missing home or away games during that time. I thought it would be appropriate to honor and remember her by creating a scholarship in her name that would benefit a student/basketball player and the FLC program.”
Nancy was a fervent believer in the benefits of education and sports. She was active with the Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic School in Boulder, CO, as a school board member and volunteer. She and her husband, Terry, guided Sacred Heart’s athletic program for 15 years, helping countless student-athletes find their own success, whether in competition or in the classroom. She passed away in January 2014.
“[This scholarship will] help a student-athlete get his education and hopefully go on to be a productive member of society, to help the FLC Men’s Basketball program sustain the level of excellence they have achieved in the past years, and to honor my mom’s memory while achieving both,” says Dan.
Dan knows about success in sport and society. He is a member of the Fort Lewis College Athletic Hall of Fame, having been inducted in 2008. As a point guard for FLC (then known as the Raiders) he helped lead the team to its first two RMAC championships. His work on the court earned him All-America honors, along with selections to the All-Colorado First Team and All-RMAC First Team. After graduation, Dan turned his work ethic to the business world, where he has also found success.
When Dan looks back on his years on the FLC basketball team, it’s the “great memories of the lifelong friends” that he remembers first. Second are the lessons he learned that continued to serve him throughout his life: value of competition, learning to overcome adversity, time management, teamwork and commitment.
He continues to be a fan of the Skyhawks today. Since the 2015-16 season, the Skyhawks are a remarkable 46-2 at home, coming up just short in the 2018 RMAC Tournament Championship game against Regis University.
“Very excited about the state of the program today,” he says. “Obviously, Coach Hofman was amazing during both his terms as the head coach and made FLC one of the most successful and well respected small college programs in the U.S. Coach Pietrack has done a terrific job of continuing and building upon that tradition of excellence.”
The future of Skyhawk Men’s Basketball is a bright one, thanks in part to support from people like Dan and his mother. Through their generosity, student-athletes for years to come will be able to enjoy all the good that can come from a Fort Lewis College education and the experience of being a part of a team, just as Dan did.
“FLC gave me more than I could ever give FLC, and I am forever grateful for the opportunities that my time there has afforded me.”
Learn more about investing in Fort Lewis College at www.fortlewis.edu/giving. To follow the Skyhawks, visit www.goskyhawks.com.
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