Michael Donald Gallagher (October 3, 1941 – October 3, 2013) was an American

cross-country skier Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing where skiers rely on their own locomotion to move across snow-covered terrain, rather than using ski lifts or other forms of assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreation ...

. He competed in individual and 4×10 km relay events at the

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarch ...

, the

1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – "Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * Januar ...

and the

1972 Winter Olympics The 1972 Winter Olympics, officially the and commonly known as Sapporo 1972 ( ja, 札幌1972), was a winter multi-sport event held from February 3 to 13, 1972, in Sapporo, Japan. It was the first Winter Olympic Games to take place outside Europe ...

. His relay teams placed 12th–13th, and his best individual achievement was 22nd place over 50 km in 1968. Gallagher was a nine-time U.S. Champion and finished 19th at the 1968

Holmenkollen Ski Festival The Holmenkollen Ski Festival ( no, Holmenkollen skifestival or ) is a traditional annual Nordic skiing event in Holmenkollen, Oslo, Norway. The full official name of the event is Holmenkollen FIS World Cup Nordic. History It takes place in March ...

in the 50 km event. Gallagher was introducing to skiing by his father, a veteran of the

10th Mountain Division The 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) is a light infantry division in the United States Army based at Fort Drum, New York. Formerly designated as a mountain warfare unit, the division was the only one of its size in the US military to re ...

, and in 1959 won the U.S. junior cross-country championships. He later attended the University of Colorado, and earned a bachelor's degree from Castleton State College in 1967. At Castleton, besides skiing he competed in cycling and middle-distance running, setting a New England collegiate records over 880 yards, one mile and 2-miles. After retiring from competitions, Gallagher coached the U.S. National team and was part of the 1980, 1984, and 1992 Olympic cycles. Besides, he coached cross-country skiing at high school for 17 years and worked for Mountain Top Inn and Mountain Meadows skiing schools. He also worked the Splitkein, Hexell, Edysbyn and Elan ski companies on the development of fiberglass skis. In 2007 he was inducted to the Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum Hall of Fame, and in 2011 into the

Mount Washington Road Race The Mount Washington Road Race is a road running event that follows the auto road going from the base of Mount Washington in New Hampshire nearly to the mountain's summit (located at above sea level). The race was first held in 1936, and has be ...

Hall of Fame.

References

1941 births 2013 deaths American male cross-country skiers Olympic cross-country skiers of the United States Cross-country skiers at the 1964 Winter Olympics Cross-country skiers at the 1968 Winter Olympics Cross-country skiers at the 1972 Winter Olympics Sportspeople from Yonkers, New York {{US-crosscountry-skiing-bio-stub