One of the treasured coaching figures in Virginia High School Football history has left the world in the waning days of this challenging 2020 calendar year.
Ralph Gahagan, who spent 38 years in the coaching profession with all but nine of them coming in the state of Virginia, passed away on Christmas Eve at the age of 93. His career record was 251-114-21, posting a 197-89-14 mark during his time at three Virginia schools - Kempsville, Princess Anne and Woodrow Wilson.
"Coach Gahagan's football legacy is long, but the people whose lives he touched extended way beyond a sport. I know just by the responses and outpouring from several generations of pupils, players and colleagues," remarked Dr. T.J. Morgan, who played fullback for Gahagan at Kempsville and after that at Wake Forest and the University of Richmond. His father also played for Gahagan at Woodrow Wilson.
"[Ralph] was always honest and told it to you straight. His wit and wisdom will live on in all of us."
Born in North Carolina, Gahagan went on to play College Football at South Carolina, graduating in 1952 with a degree in general science and biology. It was then that he turned to the coaching side of things, compiling a record of 54-25-6 in that state before moving to Virginia in 1960.
At Woodrow Wilson, the Presidents were among the top teams in Hampton Roads on a regular basis as his 11-year ledger there featured 80 wins compared to just 27 losses. In fact, his 1968 team won every game with the exception of a 13-all tie against Granby. That followed a 9-1 season in 1969 when the squad's 42.6 points per game was most in program history along with a pair of 10-win campaigns over the next two years.
The 1971 team fell to Herman Boone-coached T.C. Williams, of the acclaimed Disney movie 'Remember the Titans,' fame, by a count of 36-14 in the State Semifinals at Norfolk's Foreman Field. That ironically enough would be the same setting of maybe the most memorable game he coached in 12 years later.
After leaving Wilson, Gahagan took over Princess Anne for a total of seven seasons (1972-78), finishing 40-26-4 in his time there. Though he never reached the playoffs at PA, the stint may have accelerated his coaching acumen to elevate Kempsville's program when he arrived in 1979.
The Chiefs have only six playoff victories in their history, five of which came during Gahagan's tenure that lasted 11 seasons until 1989.
"With Ralph, I watched as a group of young men were molded to be their best, the right way. To see and live Coach Gahagan's unique gift of bringing out the best in a team taught me more than I had learned in my earlier years coaching," wrote Steve Parker, former assistant of Gahagan's at Kempsville, on Facebook.
"His ability to relate to and instill in his players the confidence that their best was better than any opponent... because they had learned not to quit, toughed it out and learned it right. I am very grateful for my experience with Coach."
Morgan was a workhorse for Kempsville, carrying the football an astounding 49 times once in a game. In 1983, he rushed for 1942 yards and the Kempsville ground game led to a school-record 13 victories, including a trip to the State Championship game. But Gahagan and his guys were denied the ultimate, falling to Mount Vernon 10-0 at Foreman Field.
"When I look back on my career, there are three coaches that come to mind: Ralph, Joe Paterno and my father before them," former Kempsville standout D.J. Dozier - who starred as a running back at Penn State before going on to play in the NFL with the Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions as well as MLB with the New York Mets - told Virginian-Pilot reporter Lee Tolliver in July of 2015.
"Ralph had such a simplistic approach to playing football and it worked."
A well-known chiropractor, wellness and fitness instructor who coached for several seasons as an assistant at Cox High in Virginia Beach, Dr. Morgan won't soon forget the contributions Gahagan made to the sports scene in Tidewater.
"I believe he should be inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame," Morgan added.
While it's unknown if and when Hall of Fame gets added to his legacy, one thing is certain. That is Ralph Gahagan left an indelible mark.
Matthew Hatfield serves as Publisher for VirginiaPreps.com, part of the Rivals.com Network, and is a regular contributor to the ACC Sports Journal. Check out Hatfield’s Twitter page for more sports related updates, and you can also read his work in the Suffolk News Herald. To contact Matthew, please e-mail hatfieldsports2k4@yahoo.com, and don’t forget to listen to him from 10 AM to Noon on 757 Saturday Sports Talk on ESPN Radio 94.1.
