Everett High School sports hierarchy expands to accommodate its increasing responsibilities

Former Crimson Tide athlete Steve Gallagher chosen as the school’s assistant athletic director

By Joe McConnell

The Everett High School (EHS) fall sports athletes met up with their coaches this past week to officially begin practice for the upcoming seasons. The football team suited up first last Friday morning, Aug. 16, before the rest of the sports got underway on Monday.

These players might have seen a familiar face – Steve Gallagher – in a new role at one point during their daily workout routines. Gallagher, who was recently the school’s golf coach, ascended into a new position over the summer months to become the assistant athletic director.

In the ever-increasing responsibilities of a high school athletic department as a result of more boys and girls participating in extracurricular activities like sports, longtime athletic director Tammy Turner is getting some help to deflect some of that workload.

Gallagher understands the specifics of his new job, and is ready to get to work to carry them out. “It will be my responsibility to assist our athletic director Tammy Turner in the overall management of the Athletics and Physical Education Departments,” he said. “This includes scheduling, procurement of resources and the supervision of student-athletes, coaches and teachers, while also ensuring that we comply with state and district regulations.”

But in the end, all of these responsibilities will benefit the department’s core group, which are the athletes themselves. “We are here to support our students and staff as best as we can,” Gallagher added. “Whether that’s providing resources or simply showing up for a game, Tammy and I both share the same vision for the future of this department.”

As school enrollment increases, so does the interest in athletics and other extracurricular activities. With that said, both Turner and Gallagher will provide a growing catalog of sports for the participants at both the high school and middle school levels.

There are presently over 20 varsity sports at the high school to go along with their subsequent sub-varsity teams, not to mention the multiple middle school and unified sports that are also presently in place. Gallagher says the athletic department employs over 80 coaches, and services almost 1,000 students-athletes. Because of this growth, additional support within the athletic department was necessary.

Gallagher, a 2007 EHS graduate, has the background to handle his new job effectively. He was a two-sport Crimson Tide athlete in both football and baseball. He was the captain of the baseball team during his senior year. He then went on to play baseball at John Carroll University in Cleveland, Ohio, but three shoulder surgeries prevented him from playing the sport all four years. He graduated from there in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in business leadership, before going on to earn a master’s degree in athletic administration, while starting out as a physical education teacher at the high school.

Gallagher has taught physical education for the last 13 years, and was also a coach in the baseball, golf, tennis and soccer programs at different points throughout that span. He obviously knows the pulse of the city in general, and what makes it thrive athletically.

“I grew up in Everett, and have seen first-hand the positive influences that sports can have on our students,” he said. “Not only do sports provide opportunities for our kids to enjoy future success, they also give them an outlet in their day-to-day lives. Even if they don’t pursue athletics after high school, the wealth of knowledge and lessons learned, while being on a team, will always be invaluable.”

Gallagher knows what he’s talking about, because playing Everett sports have made such a positive impact on his life, and he looks forward in helping administer that same impact on the lives of today’s student-athletes.

But there will always be challenges, and he’s ready to tackle them, as well. “We’re trying to develop and guide these young athletes in a time where it’s hard to be a young adult,” Gallagher said. “Between personal and social stresses, it can sometimes be difficult to navigate through such unsettling times. I’m glad that we can provide an escape for our kids, even if it’s just for a couple of hours a day.”

This job is not all about work for Gallagher. He’s also looking forward to seeing these teams succeed on their respective fields of endeavor. “I can’t wait to witness all of our successes this year, both big and small,” he said. “Whether these achievements are made on the field, in the classroom or in the community, our students deserve to be celebrated for their accomplishments.”