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Gallagher, Alymer Join Fordham U.'s Athletic Hall of Fame
BY BERNIE BEGLANE
Like father, like son!
Bobby Alymer (he is not a junior) obviously learned his lessons well from his father, Bob.
As a result, the son went on to lead Fordham’s baseball team to three Eastern College Athletic Conference championships and the same number of NCAA regional playoffs.
And to be inducted into the Jesuit Fathers’ school Athletic Hall of Fame last month at halftime of the Rams basketball victory over Duquesne.
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Dan Gallagher |
Bobby Alymer |
Young Alymer, who grew up in St. Thomas the Apostle parish, Woodhaven, was joined by his coach, Dan Gallagher.
Gallagher, originally from St. Ephrem’s parish, Dyker Heights, guided the Rams for 21 seasons.
He retired in 2004 with a 518-468-10 record. That left him as second only to the now-deceased and legendary Jack Coffey on the school’s all-time win list.
“My father was a pitcher in the Philadelphia (now Oakland) Athletics organization,” explained Alymer, now a member of the New York Police Department.
“He started me off with the Little League of St. Thomas the Apostle. From there I went to St. Francis Prep and then Dan (Gallagher) gave me a scholarship to Fordham.”
As a freshman at the Rose Hill school, Alymer helped Fordham to its first ECAC title and the 1987 regionals.
The following year, the Rams again won the ECAC title and advanced to the NCAA regionals, with Alymer pitching in seven of the eight post-season games that year, including starting the regional game against Clemson that went 19 innings, an NCAA record which still stands today.
He set school records that year for most saves (13) and most appearances (33) and was second in the NCAA in saves and seventh in ERA.
After missing the 1989 season due to injury, Bobby returned in 1990 to lead the squad to another ECAC championship and the NCAA Regional, earning a win against Maine in the ECAC tournament and then defeating Arkansas in the NCAA contest.
Following graduation, Alymer was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays, playing in the system for two-and-one-half seasons.
Alymer enjoyed success at St. Francis Prep, too, pitching the Terriers to the New York City CHSAA title in 1986 under Brother Robert Kent, O.S.F., then the coach.
Bobby, the father of three, who now lives in upstate Garnerville, is not the first member of his family to be inducted into Fordham Athletic Hall of Fame.
His wife, Lorraine, a former swimmer for the Rams, was honored in 2001.
“We actually met in the training room” recalled Alymer with a big smile on his face.
“I was rehabilitating my left elbow and Lorraine was coming off back surgery.”
Upon leaving the Toronto Blue Jays, Bobby worked as an internal auditor before joining the NYPD.
Start in Bay Ridge
As for Gallagher, he recalled starting his road to success in baseball by playing stick ball and stoop ball in Bay Ridge.
“I played baseball for (the late) Herb Hess at St. John’s Prep,” offered Dan, “and I went on to be selected for the Brooklyn Eagle (then the borough’s daily newspaper) All-Stars.
“Tommy Holmes signed me for the Dodgers’ farm system. From there, I got involved in coaching in the Freeport (Nassau County) Little League.”
Gallagher went on to become an assistant coach at Mepham H.S., Bellmore and head coach at Holy Trinity H.S., Hicksville.
Dan, who believe it or not, remained competitive as a player when he was 50, did amateur scouting for the Philadelphia Phillies.
“I pride myself that I was able to develop some great players while winning lots of games,” concluded Gallagher.
“No question, I didn’t like to lose and neither did my players.
That is evident when you look at his statistics, especially with the Rams.
Fordham won seven league championships (three Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, three Patriot League and one Atlantic 10), four ECAC titles, and played five NCAA Tournament berths.
In two of the first four years in the Atlantic 10, Gallagher led the Rams to the championship with the 1998 squad and advancing to the NCAA East Regional title game.
Gallagher received the Iron Major Award in 1998, given annually to the Fordham Coach of the Year. It was the third such honor Dan earned at Rose Hill.
Under Gallagher’s guidance, a number of players were to be drafted or signed free agent contracts.
The most notable being Pete Harnisch, who was a first round draft choice of the Baltimore Orioles and went on to pitch for over 13 seasons in the majors; Mike Marchiano, who was a 1997 All-America and a draft pick of the Seattle Mariners; and Bobby Kingsbury, a two-time Atlantic 10 Player of the Year, who was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates, and most recently played for the Greek Olympic baseball team at the 2004 Olympics.
Other Inductees
Joining Alymer and Gallagher as inductees were Denise Carrado, Class of 1997, the school’s first female soccer player to receive all-Atlantic 10 Conference honors, having been selected to the first team in both 1995 and ’96.
Also, Susan Amelio Voltz, ’83, a swimmer who earned All America honors in the 100-meter backstroke as a junior; Aaron Dougherty, ’95, a linebacker on the football team who was named Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year in 1993.
And two rowers, Mark Gibbons, and Mark Lemke, both ’96, who teamed to win national collegiate titles in all four years at Rose Hill.
The pair capped their senior season with victories in the Dad Vail Regatta.
Lemke also was an Academic All America selection as a sophomore, junior and senior.
Bevon Robin, ’01, who topped Fordham’s basketball team in scoring for four straight seasons, and Tom Gleason, ’79, who captained the swim team as a junior and senior and the water polo squad as a senior, completed the nine inductees.
Robin amassed 1,793 points, second only to Ed Conlin, and as a senior, received the Vincent T. Lombardi Award as the school’s top male student-athlete.
Record Still Stands
Gleason was a member of the 400-meter freestyle relay squad whose record of 1979 still stands today. He also swam with the 800 freestyle and medley quartets whose performances led to entry in the Rams’ record book.
R-A Girls Win CYO Rookie 'B'
Diocesan Title
Teamwork, tenacity and talent have earned seven young ladies from Resurrection-Ascension parish, Rego Park, their first CYO Diocesan ‘B’ Rookie Basketball Championship Title.
After a long season of hard work, these girls geared up mentally and physically for the championship game, which was played against St. Mel’s girls from Flushing on Feb. 25 at Our Lady of Hope School, Middle Village.
Elisabeth Gully was R-A’s high scorer with 18 points while Christine Arquero racked up a valuable seven points.
St. Mel’s made a valiant effort on the court but it wasn’t enough to triumph over the Rego Park team. Under the guidance of coaches John Campione and Sal Sommella, R-A brought the victory home with a final score of 28 - 15.
Proudly donning their championship medals, at left, are the players, Christine Arquero, Francesca Campione, Erica Chan, Elisabeth Gully, Brittany Morrison, Whitney Robinson, Melissa Villa, with coaches, Sommella, left, and Campione, right.
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