A Legend Retires...

As many of you know, I was a four year member of the varsity Track & Field team at Georgetown University where I was coached by the legendary Frank "GAGS" Gagliano. Yesterday, GAGS retired from coaching after 45-years. While I can never repay GAGS for everything he gave to me, I wanted to briefly honor his legacy.

I was a good runner in H.S. having finished runner-up in the NC State Championships and top-25 at the National Championships, but hardly the caliber of a Georgetown runner. For those of you that don't know, Georgetown is one of the most storied collegiate Track & Field programs having produced 22 Olympians, 20 National Champions and more All-Americans than can be named.

GAGS gave me the opportunity to be a part of this incredible program, but ultimately gave me so much more - a degree from a prestigious university, a job that provided for my family more than I could have ever dreamed possible, a wife and now a son. In short, he gave me a future that I would have otherwise not realized.

In return, all GAGS asked was for me to compete to the best of my abilities. I was certainly not the best runner he ever recruited or coached, but he always treated as such. In many respects, he was a second father to me and I loved him for that.

GAGS retired from coaching Georgetown in the winter of my junior year to accept a position coaching the Nike Professional team in San Francisco. My running was never the same. While Crystal will tell you it was because I met her several months later (and that is true), it was also because I couldn't (or wouldn't compete) the same for another coach as I did for GAGS.

GAGS was misunderstood by many. He was from the Bronx and had a gruff, intimidating presence to him. However, for those lucky few that had the privilege to truly know the man - he was nothing more than a big teddy bear at heart.

I leave you with the following tribute video (you need to turn off the playlist at the bottom)…