Ed Gallagher (American football, born 1957)
Edwin B. Gallagher (April 6, 1957 – May 4, 2005), better known as Ed Gallagher,[1] was an American football player who played for the University of Pittsburgh at offensive tackle from 1977 to 1979.[2][3]
On March 1, 1985, Gallagher attempted to die by suicide due to depression as he struggled to come to terms with his homosexuality.[4] The incident occurred twelve days after his first sexual encounter with another man. Gallagher survived the suicide attempt, but was left paraplegic.[5]
Gallagher later stated that before his attempt, "he had become unable to reconcile his image of himself as an athlete with gay urges." However, he believed that the incident also helped him: "I was more emotionally paralyzed then, than I am physically now."[5] He went on to become an author and speak out publicly about disabilities and homosexuality, including in an interview with CBC Radio's The Inside Track for "The Last Closet", a special episode about homophobia in sports which aired in 1993.[6] He was also the founder of the organization Alive to Thrive.[7]
Gallagher died of a heart condition in 2005 at his home in New Rochelle, New York.[8]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Obituary: Edwin B. Gallagher Jr". The Journal News. May 7, 2005. Retrieved July 30, 2016 – via Legacy.com.
- ^ "Matt & Andrej Koymasky – Famous GLTB – Ed Gallagher". Andrejkoymasky.com. September 7, 2002. Retrieved February 2, 2013.
- ^ "Ed Gallagher Dies at 48". Outsports.com. Archived from the original on January 16, 2013. Retrieved February 2, 2013.
- ^ "4 Dec 1993, 80 - Edmonton Journal at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved October 6, 2022.
- ^ a b "The brief history of gay athletes". Espn.go.com. December 18, 1998. Retrieved February 2, 2013.
- ^ Moment #62: CBC airs "The Last Closet". Outsports, August 4, 2011.
- ^ Zeigler, Cyd (May 30, 2013). "Ed Gallagher Alive To Thrive". Outsports. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
- ^ Zeigler, Cyd (May 31, 2013). "Ed Gallagher Dies at 48". Outsports. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
External links
[edit]- "Ed Gallagher, who turned suicide attempt to activism, dies". Outsports.com. May 13, 2005. Archived from the original on February 17, 2009. Retrieved February 8, 2009.
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- 1957 births
- 2005 deaths
- Deaths from heart disease
- LGBTQ players of American football
- American LGBTQ rights activists
- American gay sportsmen
- Sportspeople from New Rochelle, New York
- Players of American football from Westchester County, New York
- Pittsburgh Panthers football players
- Activists from New York (state)
- People with paraplegia
- 20th-century American LGBTQ people
- American activists with disabilities
- 20th-century American sportsmen
- American football offensive lineman, 1950s birth stubs