SPORTS HALL of FAME ATHLETE
Mike Gallup '63'

For some Hall of Fame inductees, there was (as TV as dubbed it) a "moment in time". Mike Gallup gets two such moments. He will go down in the annals of Sidney sports history as the receiver of the winning touchdown to defeat Walton in the very first night game in school history. And for 44 seasons, his scoring of 40 points in one game remains a school record. But there is certainly more to the story.

Mike Gallup's place in the Sidney Alumni Sports Hall of Fame is secure because he was one of the more versatile athletes as well as one of the most talented. Mike's foray into varsity sports began on the bench. He played sparingly as a sophomore end for Coach Redmond's unbeaten 1960 football team. He earned his starting spot the next season, and after the Warriors began that fall with 19-0 and 27-0 victories over Greene and Chenango Forks, the chance to repeat faded with close losses to Walton and Newark Valley.

The segue into basketball proved to be seamless for Mike. He was an impact player from the opening tip as he led the Susquenango League in scoring as a junior. Records are too obscure to know how rare that was, but we tend to think seniors ruled the scoring charts in those days.

By the next fall, football expectations again ran high for the boys who would on new coach Bob Zegler's team. Once again, they shut out Greene to open the season, but FL was the NEXT week in which they made history. It was the first night game at Sidney, complete with portable lights that stood all of ten feet tall as Mike recalled they were positioned in a way that made pass receptions next to impossible.

But not totally impossible. As the Warriors trailed Walton 18-14 late in the game - intensified through injuries to both teams and the adjustment to playing at night - assistant Coach Tom Robertson drew up a last-minute play.

He called it a "Z pattern" which meant quarterback Bill Price was to time his pass so that Mike ran downfield in the shape of a "z". And the final cut was to be in the right corner of the end zone. No one took into account the wet grass that came with playing at night. So Mike actually slipped got back up, noticed the Walton defense flooding the area of the intended pass, and ad-libbed another cut across the middle. Price hit him on the money for the touchdown and the thrilling victory, 20-18.Sidney would go on to finish 6-1 that season.

Mike's senior year in hoops was much like his previous one. He led the league in scoring, was MVP of the Sidney Christmas Tournament (the host Warriors had finally defeated the perennial champion Warriors of Chenango Valley in the title game), and then had his dream game at home versus Windsor.

Despite sitting out a portion of the first half and most of the fourth quarter, Mike rang the nets for 40 points, as stated before a record that still stands. Bob Hayward's 39 points in a 1976 home game versus Sherburne-Earlville is still second while Jene Grey's 37 against Bishop Ludden in a state playoff game in 1975 is third. Also that year, Sidney was the only team to beat local rival Bainbridge. What made the feat ironic is that the win came in a defensive battle which ended with neither team breaking 40 points.

After his 1963 graduation from Sidney, Mike's choice for college was Colgate and his sport of choice started out to be football. However, that aspect of his athletic career was cut short due to knee problems. He still managed to play lacrosse and was on the very first Colgate Rugby club team in 1967. He also played some semi-pro football for the Watertown Red and Black, the oldest such team in existence, after graduation.

Watertown is where Mike began his professional career at IBM. He spent the next 33 years working in the computer industry, most notably for Compaq. When he retired in 1999, he was Vice President - General Manager, North America.

Mike continues an active lifestyle in the Boston area with Linda, his wife of 36 years. He golfs and, despite nine knee operations, still enjoys skiing. They have a daughter Molly who is now married to Alex; they have given Mike and Linda two grandchildren, Max and Sophie and live nearby in Wellesley, Massachusetts.

The Sidney Alumni Hall of Fame also thanks Mike for his generosity in giving back to his alma mater. In the past he has donated computers to the school. Tonight, he has funded the 1950 football team's keepsake and has offered his time-share condo in Hilton Head, SC as an auction item.

Congratulations to Mike Gallup, part of the first totally elected class into our Alumni Sports Hall of Fame!