William (Bill) J. Gallagher, Jr. 1949 – 2016: ‘Bill’s love for youth sports was immense’

It is with great sadness to report that on Tuesday the Newport-Mesa community lost a dear friend in William “Bill” Gallagher.

Born and raised in Glendale, Calif., Bill grew up in a large family as an avid UCLA sports fan. A frequent visitor to Newport Beach as a teen, Bill quickly became a lover of the ocean. He subsequently moved his family to Costa Mesa in the late 1960s, working at Hoag Hospital as a security guard, followed by stint as a P.E. teacher at St. Joachim Catholic School.

Bill’s love for youth sports was immense. Bill was a part of the Advisory Board of Directors that brought Newport Beach National Little League to the area in the early 1980s. He coached both Little League and Pony League baseball, as well as AYSO soccer for over 25 years.

Spending a majority of time on our local fields, Bill developed a keen acumen for landscaping — a profession he focused his career on. Generously, Bill donated valuable time and energy to ensure that our playing fields were in pristine condition. In fact, nearly every athletic field in the Newport-Mesa community was built, refurbished or landscaped by Bill as some point in its lifetime.

After raising his children, Bill continued to coach youth sports. Countless times you would see Bill working on the baseball diamond during the morning, preparing for the afternoon’s game. He was inspiring and motivating as a coach.

Teaching fundamental baseball techniques and detailed strategies for offense and defense were some of his characteristics. Bill taught the infamous “Two Strike Stance,” a position batters would use to limit their strike-zone, forcing the pitcher to throw balls that were either hittable or tested their accuracy to instigate a walk. Another technique used was “Dose Practice,” where every player on the team learned how to roll their body into a pitch safely to get hit by a pitch. Taking your “daily dose” from a sponge ball was a rite of passage for hundreds of players. Always there for his teams, he would wheel-barrel a generator to the fields for a personally bought pitching machine that would run for hours as batting practice. And who can forget the “singing bats.”

To characterize Bill as generous was an understatement. Not many people or parents at the time knew this, but he would often serve as an underwriter and pay for a player’s annual dues. He sponsored numerous players over the years. And for the benefit of working parents, he would time his practices with the last school bell, so that players would be supervised until they could be picked up by parents in the early evening.

Always unique, Bill was a local icon in his own right. Everyone knew Bill.

Personally, Bill was more than just a great coach, mentor and community leader — he was a friend. He was always there in a time of need to lend his hands for strength, a shoulder to lean on or simply someone that could provide honest advice. Bill was a genuine leader and someone who cared more for others than himself.

We will greatly miss Bill in our lives. We know he is in a better place continuing his role by serving his new community with integrity and pride. Thank you Coach!

Services are pending.

Ted Stelle of Costa Mesa and Erik Weigand of Newport Beach co-authored this story.