Harry Gallatin - Post-Playing Life

Post-Playing Life

After his retirement from playing in 1958, Gallatin became the head coach of the Southern Illinois University (now SIU / Carbondale) Salukis. In four seasons there, he led his teams to a 69-35 record and post-season tournament appearances every year. The 1961-62 team made it to the NCAA Small College (now Division II) Tournament semifinals before barely losing to eventual champion Mount St. Mary's College 58-57, then took third place by beating Nebraska Wesleyan University 98-81.

He returned to the NBA in 1962 as coach of the St. Louis Hawks. In his first season, he led the Hawks to the division finals and was named NBA Coach of the Year. The 1963-64 season saw the Hawks again advance to the division finals, but halfway through 1964-65 he returned to New York to coach the Knicks while Richie Guerin replaced him as coach of the Hawks. The Knicks were developing into a championship team, but the pieces were not yet all in place and Gallatin left the Knicks and the NBA midway through the 1965-66 season.

He became the first athletic director and basketball coach at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in 1967. He remained at SIUE until his retirement in 1992, where he also taught in the physical education department and was the SIUE Cougars's men's golf coach for 24 years, leading that team to NCAA Division II championships 19 times and finishing in the top 10 six times

Since his retirement from coaching, Gallatin has remained active and enthusiastic, still living in Edwardsville, Illinois. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1991, and has also been named to six other Halls of Fame. In 2011, the New York Knicks honored him in their second "Legends Night Awards" along with other former Knicks stars Dick Barnett, Earl Monroe, Mark Jackson, John Starks and Allan Houston.