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by Chris Yandle, Georgia Tech Assistant AD / Communications & Public Relations
Editor's note: Gallet will be inducted posthumously into the CoSIDA Hall of Fame on June 15 during the annual CoSIDA Convention. The induction luncheon takes place at the World Center Marriott, site of CoSIDA's convention which is being held in conjunction with NACDA and Affiliates Convention Week. Gallet was selected for Hall of Fame honors by CoSIDA's veteran's committee.
Long before smartphones, social media and the “selfie” made college public relations and sports information professionals more visible to the public eye, there was an unassuming office at the University of Miami filled with clutter from wall to wall and a typewriter situated on the middle of a desk. It belonged to George Gallet, the dean of college sports information directors. Scattered amongst the stacks on the floor were media guides from previous years in one corner, the layout for the current year’s guide in another corner, and a stack of information for Miami’s All-America candidates occupying yet another corner of the small office.
“(George’s office) was organized chaos, but only George knew exactly where everything was,” said former Assistant SID Karl Schmitt, who is now the Executive Director for the Louisville Sports Commission. Schmitt was hired by Gallet in June 1980 and spent a year with Gallet before his passing in 1981. Schmitt served as Miami’s head SID from 1983-87.
Not only was he a publicist, he has also been labeled by some of his peers as an innovator and a pioneer. Gallet is believed to be the originator of the play-by-play sheets for writers and sportscasters that are now standard in every press box in the United States. “He was a pack rat,” said Schmitt. “He carried every play-by-play with him to every game.”
From 1937-81, Gallet served as the Sports Information Director for the University of Miami, or as he called it, “Miam-uh.”
Over his 44-year tenure – which is still the longest tenure by any college sports information director – Gallet tirelessly promoted more than 100 All-Americans in all sports. He was a “true publicist” in every sense of the word. His two main objectives were to serve the student-athletes first and the coaches second. He was all about customer service.
Year after year, his University of Miami football media guide was ranked among the nation’s best. Gallet, who was a sportswriter for
The Miami News for 10 years prior to becoming an SID, was even one of the last people to interview legendary Notre Dame coach Knute Rockne before he was killed in a plane crash in 1931.
“George was very much relationship-based. He taught me this profession is all about people, knowing people, and treating people the right way,” said Schmitt. “His Rolodex was gold.”
As a young assistant SID at Miami, Schmitt was told by Wilbert Bach, Miami’s first sports publicist, that he and Gallet invented the roster at the University of Miami. Because uniform numbers changed a lot in those times, they created it so that “they knew who was on the team.” However, Schmitt was unsure how true that story was or if was just a legend that will live on without attribution.
George was an aggressive guy, serious and straight-forward. He was respected by other sports publicists in the profession and struck up a friendship with the late Beano Cook, who was the SID at Pittsburgh from 1956-66.
“Beano Cook would always joke with George about how serious he was with everything, said former intern Mike Pearl, who would leave Miami for a 35-year television career that saw him win 16 EMMYs. “Beano always had a joke in his press releases. George was straight-forward. That’s how he was – he was very serious and very thorough.”
In my search requests for any photos or artifacts from George’s tenure, it’s no surprise there was only one photo of George in all of Miami’s archives. In his time, the sports information director stood in the shadows of college coaches and student-athletes they promoted.
While there is only one known photo in the Miami archives, his fingerprints and impact span four-plus decades at Miami. Gallet promoted Miami’s first football All-American, defensive tackle Al Carapella in 1950. He also promoted Miami’s first two two-time All-Americans – receiver Bill Miller (1960, 1961) and quarterback George Mira Sr. (1962, 1963).
However, Gallet’s most prominent All-American impact, perhaps, is that of College Football and Pro Football Hall of Famer Ted “The Mad Stork” Hendricks, who played defensive end for the Hurricanes from 1966-68. Hendricks earned All-America honors in each of his three years at Miami and is still the Canes’ only three-time All-American in program history.
When I prefaced my first question by calling him Miami’s first and only three-time All-American, Hendricks stopped me.
“George got me three All-Americans,” said the deep-voiced Hendricks with a laugh.
One of the things Hendricks remembers most about George was not only his genuine desire to promote the Hurricanes, but the top of his head, too. You see, Hendricks is roughly 6-foot-7 and George was slightly shorter than that (believed to be around 5-foot-5).
“When I returned to Miami after my pro career was done, I kissed the top of George’s head to thank him for all the publicity,” said Hendricks.
Through it all, George’s career at Miami spanned seven athletic directors, 10 head football coaches, the hiatus of the men’s basketball program, and the near extinction of the Hurricanes football program. Despite the transient nature of Miami, George Gallet remained a constant.
Dedicated in 1979, the Hecht Athletic Center on San Amaro Drive is the administrative home for the University of Miami Athletics Department. In the nature of being a publicist, “Sports Publicity” was emblazoned above the office doors to the sports information office.
Three years later, the offices were named “The George Gallet Sports Information Center” in September 1982.
The faded bronze plaque (
right) has since moved to the wall outside the main door to Miami’s Communications & Marketing Suite
.
Like his work behind the scenes, George passed away quietly in 1981 from a massive heart attack at the age of 71. He was starting his 45th year of Miami, two years before head coach Howard Schnellenberger came through with his promise of winning a national title. He was preceded in death by his wife, Louise, who died after a long illness in the fall of 1980.
Even though George has been gone for more than 30 years, his legacy remains preserved. Sometimes, the impact of a man isn’t known until long after he’s gone.