Jack Gallagher (1965) - Southern Miss M-Club Hall of Fame

Jack Gallagher

Induction:
1965

Jack Gallagher was one of the most popular basketball players in Southern Miss history and throughout the state of Mississippi , His unorthodox style and ability to perform in the clutch also made him one of the finest basketball players in school history.
      Gallagher, a native of Indianapolis, Indiana, was playing at Pensacola Naval Air Station for Coach Lee Floyd and when Floyd was hired as the head coach at Southern Miss, Gallagher followed.
      The 1949-50 campaign was Floyd's first as head coach and Gallagher's first as a regular on the squad and the team, which had finished 6-10 the year before, turned in a 19-7 mark and the championship of the Gulf States Conference with a 14-2 record.
      Gallagher would finish that 1949-50 season as the team's second leading scorer with a 10.8 average and although he was just 5-11 and weighed 175 pounds, he also finished as one of the top rebounders that year.
      The team would finish the next years with a 21-14 record and a fourth place finish in the conference with a 9-6 mark. Gallagher would be one of three players that year to finish with a double figure scoring average, finishing with 11.9 per game and finishing behind Hall of Famers Tom Bishop and Nick Revon. Gallagher's skill on defense was evident throughout the year as he regularly was called on to guard the opposition's leading scorer and by the fact that he committed 112 fouls during the course of the season.
    The 1951-52 season would see the team enjoy one of its finest seasons to date as they raced to a 29-8 mark, won the conference championship for a second time with a 13-3 mark, won the district championship and advanced for the first time to the NAIA National Tournament.
      Although the team would lose in the opening round of the NAIA tournament, the appearance would set the stage for a return appearance the following year.
      Gallagher would once again finish third on the team in scoring behind Bishop and Revon, but the trio had developed into one of the most dangerous combinations in the country. His scoring average during the season was 9.9 and his was the second most frequent visitor to the foul line making 69 of 177 that year.
      The 1952-53 season would see Gallagher lead the team to one of its best seasons, finishing 27-8, winning the district championship for a second straight year and advancing again to the NAIA national tournament in Kansas City. In the NAIA tournament Gallagher helped lead the team to wins over Wisconsin State and Loyola of Baltimore, before losing in the round of eight to Hamline.
      Gallagher's role on the 1952-53 team was different than the first few years. If a depth and more talented team, he became more of a playmaker and defensive specialist, although he still averaged 7.2 points a game and once again went to the foul line as frequently as anyone on the team, making 66 of 100.
      He would become one of the first 1,000 point career scorers in Southern Miss history finishing his career with 1,276 points.
      He also lettered two seasons in baseball in 1951 and 1952.