Cinderellas may not become CINDERELLAS until March but there are still lot of legendary upsets that have taken place during the regular season. In February of 1961 Coach John “Taps” Gallagher brought his Niagara team 90 miles south to face a St. Bonaventure squad that was ranked 2nd in the nation and featured a near-30 PPG scorer in Tom Stith and a double-double machine in Fred Crawford. The Bonnies had won 99 straight games at home (the 2nd-longest such streak in NCAA history), while the Purple Eagles were coming off of a 20-PT loss the previous weekend to St. John’s at Madison Square Garden. Somehow, someway, Niagara shocked the world with a 10-PT upset, and the rest as they say is history. Coach Gallagher passed away in 1982 but HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Gallagher’s former player/assistant Frank Layden about his boss as well as an amazing 6-OT game. Today marks the 61st anniversary of that unbelievable upset on February 25, 1961, so we take this time to remember that remarkable feat.
Gallagher got the nickname “Taps” in the 1920s when getting the center tap after each basket was vital: who gave him the nickname, and how did he like it? I do not know who gave it to him but I think that he liked it. He was the guy who did the jumping.
He played 3 sports at St. John’s: which sport was he best at, and which 1 did he enjoy the most? I think he enjoyed all sports but he was like me in that he enjoyed baseball the most: we would always chat about the Dodgers. He was an innovator: he was 1 of the 1st people to scout opponents, which he did at great sacrifice to himself. We would practice in the morning and then he would drive off to scout someone in the afternoon. I believe that he belongs in the Hall of Fame because he created winners.
He spent 3 years in the Navy during WWII: what impact did the war have on him either on or off the court? He was a teacher of men as a commander in the Navy. He met a lot of great coaches while he was in the service. A lot of teams put on exhibitions so he met coaches like Johnny Wooden, who used to always ask me how Taps was doing.
In February of 1953 as coach at Niagara he had a 7-PT 6-OT win over Siena despite the scoreboard timer breaking down: where does that game (the 2nd-longest in NCAA history) rank among the most exciting of his career? It was a great win and an important win. I actually played in that game: we had lost to St. John’s in the Garden and were worried that it might cost us a spot in the NIT. We got a lot of publicity about it and it was an exciting-yet-draining win. That is when he was at his best in terms of resting players and using his substitutes well.
What are your memories of the 1954 NIT (Bo Erias scored a team-high 20 PTS in a 3-PT win over Dayton)? I was there but cannot tell you a lot about it. We had a good run and had a little rivalry with Dayton.
In the 1955 NIT he had a a 2-PT loss to Cincinnati: how close did he come to beating the Bearcats? They had Jack Twyman, who was a great player: I got to know him later on after he became a pro. For a little school we played quite an impressive schedule and upset a few big-time teams. Taps never overreacted to any specific win/loss: he respected all of our opponents and would keep his focus by moving on to the next game at hand. I got to work for him and saw that he never got down on anyone or held a grudge. He was called a “gentleman coach” for a reason: he coached for 35 years on the biggest stages in the country and never got a technical foul! He had a very even temperament.
What are your memories of the 1956 NIT (a 2-PT loss to St. Francis NY)? I saw it but it was after I had graduated and was in the Army. I drove in for the game: it was a tough loss. That St. Francis team was a very good team and Niagara had graduated several great players. The 2 coaches (Taps/Daniel Lynch) were friends from their childhood days in Brooklyn.
In February of 1961 his team had a 10-PT upset of 2nd-ranked St. Bonaventure to snap their 99-game home winning streak (the 2nd-longest in NCAA history): where does that rank among the greatest upsets in school history? St. Bonaventure coach Eddie Donovan brought a peace pipe with him to that very historic game. I think that it was probably the greatest win in school history.
When people look back on his career, how do you want him to be remembered the most? He was a great credit to the institution. When you talk about the great coaches of that era like Adolph Rupp/Joe Lapchick…I would say that Taps has to be there as well. Nowadays coaches change jobs all of the time because of money but Taps loved the school and loved what he was doing. He was a classy man: the luckiest thing that ever happened to me after marrying my wife was the chance to play for Taps. He was a great teacher and a very moral man who was admired by many people. They named the gym after him, which was a very deserving honor. He was a good player and a better coach. When I see some of the characters in the Hall of Fame, I think that he belongs because he had such a great impact on the lives of so many people. If his accomplishments had occurred at a bigger school then I think he would have already been inducted.