“Competition has always been my cup of tea.” – Harry Gallatin
On October 7, 2015, the SIUE community lost an iconic member of its Cougar Athletics family – Harry “The Horse” Gallatin. A native of small town Roxana, Ill., Gallatin and his legacy will forever be remembered as one of the founding fathers of the SIUE Athletics program.
A 1944 graduate of Roxana High School, Gallatin was a premier Illinois high school basketball player. Despite being an undersized player, he began creating a name for himself throughout the Midwest using his tremendous physical strength, epitomized work ethic and passion for the game. These same attributes would later earn him the nickname “The Horse” among his peers.
In fact, Gallatin’s talents on the hard-wood were so special, he was offered an athletic scholarship from Northeast Missouri State Teachers’ College (now Truman State University), but instead decided to enlist in the U.S. Navy. He would go on to serve our country until the end of World War II.
SIUE v Illinois State Men's Basketball 11_15_09 Bill
Once his service was complete, Gallatin followed up on his scholarship offer and attended Northeast Missouri State Teachers’ College as a core member of the men’s basketball team. In 1948, just two seasons later, Gallatin had averaged 12.9 points per game, boasted an overall record of 59-4, made back-to-back appearances in the NAIA tournament, obtained his bachelor’s degree and met the woman of his dreams, who would later become his wife – Beverly Hull Gallatin. The couple happily wedded in 1949. Almost 66 years later, the two were still madly in love.
In 1948, Harry Gallatin announced he would be entering the NBA Draft. He could never have predicted what would happen next – he was a first-round selection by the New York Knicks.
“It was a dream come true,” Gallatin said. “I really didn't know what to expect. It was my first plane ride – from St. Louis to New York. Here I am, a boy from Wood River … a country boy … going to the Big Apple. All I knew was that I loved to play basketball and the Knicks had taken me as their No. 1 choice. I was humbled to know I had the abilities they were looking for.”
Gallatin would go on to compile a fairytale career as a Knick, serving as the team’s premier rebounder for nine seasons, while also receiving numerous honors and accolades.
Most notably:
• 1951: All-Star Game selection (first-ever NBA All-Star Game)
• All-Star Team selection 7-consecutive seasons (1951-1957)
• NY Knicks single-game rebounding record: 33
• 1954: NBA Rebounding leader (15.3 rebounds/game)
• 1x All-NBA First Team
• 1x All-NBA Second Team
• NY Knicks team record: 610 consecutive games played
Upon retirement from the NBA in 1958, Gallatin would go on to coach the Southern Illinois University Salukis men’s basketball team for four seasons. As their head coach, Gallatin would boast a record of 79-35, appear in the post-season all four seasons, and receive third place in the Division II Tournament during the ’61-’62 season.
In 1962, Gallatin would leave SIU to coach the NBA-franchise St. Louis Hawks. Over two seasons, Gallatin’s teams achieved an overall record of 111-82, back-to-back division finals, and recognition in ’62-’63 as NBA Coach of the Year.
Gallatin returned to New York to coach the Knicks in 1964. Coaching them for only a season and a half, Gallatin posted a record of 25-38. This would be the conclusion of his career in the NBA.
In 1966, Gallatin returned to his native community and served as assistant dean of students at the local university – Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. In 1967, he would accept the position as the Cougars’ head men’s basketball coach and become the school’s first athletic director.
Gallatin would remain at SIUE until retirement in 1992, serving as athletic director, head men’s basketball coach, professor in the physical education department and men’s golf coach during his tenure. He coached golf at SIUE for 24 seasons, leading the team to NCAA Division II championships 19 times and finishing in the Top 10 six times.
Gallatin is an inductee to several Halls of Fame, including:
• Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (’91)
• National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame
• SIUE Athletics Hall of Fame
• Truman State University Athletics Hall of Fame
• Missouri Sports Hall of Fame
• two Illinois Basketball Halls of Fame
• Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) Hall of Fame
• National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Hall of Fame
• SIU Salukis Hall of Fame
Today, Harry “The Horse” Gallatin is remembered for his tireless commitment to support the teams he loved – the New York Knicks and the SIUE Cougars. Having been memorialized at SIUE through “the Harry Gallatin Golf Training Facility” and in New York as a member of “the Madison Square Gardens Walk of Fame,” the story of Harry Gallatin is one that inspires the hearts of many young athletes and will never be forgotten.