The legacy of Bruce Gallagher and his immense contributions to Caldwell University and Nutley High School live on with a scholarship in his name for a Nutley High graduate. A native of North Adams, Massachusetts, Gallagher was a gifted baseball and basketball player who, at one time,e played in the New York Yankees organization.

Gallagher coached high school basketball at Nutley from 1977 to 1982 after a short tenure at Montville High School. In 1983, he moved on to the collegiate ranks and served as an assistant coach at Bloomfield College under then-head coach Mark Corino. When Corino left for Caldwell in 1988, Gallagher assumed the head coaching duties at Bloomfield and enjoyed excellent success. He and Corino were reunited in 1992 as Gallagher joined the Cougars as the assistant men’s basketball coach. Gallagher remained with the Caldwell men’s basketball program until his sudden passing in 1998.

Bruce Gallagher Scholarship

To honor Bruce’s impact on both the Nutley and Caldwell communities, a scholarship in his name was established in 1999. The Bruce Gallagher Memorial Scholarship is awarded to a Nutley High School graduate who enrolls at Caldwell University.

Bruce’s family continues to honor his dedication to Caldwell as his wife Linda and other family members are involved in the annual golf outing. They attend the event each year and meet the Nutley scholarship recipient. The legacy of Bruce remains strong as his daughter Kelly joined the Caldwell Athletics family in 2016 as the department’s administrative assistant.