Charles Gallagher

Charlie was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey and attended Sacred Heart Grammar School and High School. Upon graduation he received a full four-year athletic scholarship for basketball to Newberry College, Newberry, South Carolina. While at Sacred Heart High School (1952-1956), he scored 1,516 points; a Union County record for that time. He was also selected All-City, All- Union County, All- Essex/Union Counties, All-State (Catholic), and All-North New Jersey (Catholic).

At Newberry College (1957-1960), he scored 1,610 points, a record for the college at that time. He was selected Little All-American in 1960, All-State, All-District 26 North & South Carolina, All- Conference and Tournament first team three times plus being named to other All-Tournament teams. He was selected Conference “Player of the Year” in 1958, and was runner-up for “Player of the Year” in South Carolina in 1958 and 1959.

In 1960, he was offered tryouts with the Detroit Pistons, Chicago Zephyrs (NBA), and the New York Tuck Tapes (NIBL) but chose to go into high school coaching. From 1960-1972 he led the South Carolina Semi-pro basketball league in scoring, averaging 34 points per game over that time period, until he was injured in a sports accident.

He was selected to the Newberry College Athletic Hall of Fame in 1980, and in 2000 was selected to the South Carolina Centennial Team (top 50 players in the state).

After college, he taught and coached high school basketball in the Camden and Charleston, South Carolina areas (1960-1974) with a record of 202-82. From 1974-2000, he was a principal at various schools in Denmark, South Carolina. He retired after 40 years in education, but has continued to teach for the past five years at an alternative school in Allendale, South Carolina.

He received his Master’s Degree from The Citadel and his Specialist’s Degree from the University of South Carolina.

He has been married for the past 41 years to the formal Emma Jean Kittrell, and is the father of three daughters, Jean-Marie, Karen, and Kelly.

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