When Livingstone and Catawba compete tonight inside Alumni Memorial Stadium, players on both teams will be wearing something special on their helmets: decals in memory of Salisbury Post Sports Editor Ronnie Gallagher.
On Friday night, area high school players also honored Gallagher, who died on Aug. 30, by wearing decals bearing his initials.
“I got a phone call on the Friday Ronnie died from Ryan Crowder, Salisbury’s football coach,” said Kevin Keiger, salesman at Dale’s Sporting Goods in China Grove. “He mentioned to me that he and Joe Pinyan were talking and said they’d like to do something to remember Ronnie. He brought up the idea about the decals, and I said I thought that was a great idea and we should try to get all the schools in The Salisbury Post coverage area on board. Within 30 minutes I reached several coaches, and every one of them said yes immediately. Some of the teams actually wore the decals last week, and all of the schools have been very receptive.”
Gallagher, 57, became Post sports editor in 1997, after working as a sportswriter for the paper for 2 ½ years. He began his sports career in 1980 at the Lexington Dispatch, in 1986 became sports editor of the Davie County Enterprise and has won numerous awards from the N.C. Press Association over the years.
It’s hard to find anyone who loved high school sports more than Gallagher.
“Ronnie was just a special guy, and I think what Rowan County will miss more than anything is how well he took care of our high school athletes,” said Pinyan, head football coach at Carson and a pallbearer at Gallagher’s funeral. “He always put our high schools out front, and I think he did extremely well promoting the two colleges we have here also. You pick up the paper and it’s all about local sports. Ronnie made sure the kids were well taken care of, and that’s something special. I hope the newspaper finds a way to continue that legacy.”
Pinyan said Gallagher made the sports section a local shrine.
“If one of our kids played in an All-Star game somewhere he covered that and it was front-page news,” Pinyan said. “He didn’t have to do those things, but he knew how important that was to Rowan County athletics and the people of Rowan County. The kids love when they pick up the paper and see their names or their pictures, and that’s what he was all about.”
Carson Athletic Director Mark Woody credits Gallagher for being helpful to him from day one.
“He was really good to me when I started the program here at Carson,” Woody said. “He’s a class act, and it’s going to be hard to follow him. “There are so many things that Ronnie did behind the scenes that no one will ever know. He was always here for the kids. You look at newspapers across the state, and there’s nobody doing things for high school athletics that Ronnie was doing.”
Daryl Williams has been at Livingstone for two seasons and didn’t know Gallagher as well as some of the other area coaches but wants his players to honor him nonetheless.
“When I was approached about the decals, I immediately thought it was a good thing to do,” said Williams, interim football coach and offensive coordinator. “Ronnie was a great guy and always made me feel at ease during interviews. I know he has a great legacy among the sports community here and has done a great job for so many years. I’m honored for our players to wear the decals bearing his initials.”
Catawba coach Curtis Walker agreed.
“The Catawba football family is proud to participate in honoring Ronnie Gallagher by wearing the decals,” Walker said. “He played a huge part in Rowan County athletics, and I’m blessed to have known him.”
Keiger, whose father Dale has owned Dale’s Sporting Goods for 58 years, said 800 to 1,000 decals were provided to players at Livingstone and Catawba colleges and A.L. Brown, Carson, Davie County, East Rowan, North Rowan, Salisbury, South Rowan and West Rowan high schools.
“Ronnie was just one of those guys who once you met him you knew he was a good guy,” Keiger said. “He was sincere in what he did, and he absolutely loved high school sports.”
Keiger said he’s sure Gallagher’s wife Joan and their sons Jack and Mackie appreciate the outpouring of love and support they’ve received from the community since his death.
“Providing the decals is just something my dad and I felt moved to do after the coaches approached us about it,” Keiger said. “And Ronnie certainly deserves it.”
Post Editor Elizabeth Cook agrees.
“What a wonderful way to honor Ronnie’s memory,” she said. “He was passionate about putting out the best sports section possible – for all the schools. It’s touching to see those schools remember him this way.”