FREMONT – A new tradition for Fremont Ross baseball was born Wednesday night.

A plaque was given to Doug Gallagher’s widow, Deb, as the Ross baseball program retired his No. 32 jersey.

No Little Giant pitcher will ever be alone while warming up before going into a game. That’s because just over his shoulder will loom one of the program’s most prestigious icons.

The Little Giant program retired the No. 32 in honor of Doug “Lefty” Gallagher before Wednesday’s game against Oregon Clay. The tribute to the left-hander was hung on the outfield wall just beyond the bullpen pitcher’s mound.

Though Gallagher passed away in December after a long illness at the age of 77, his widow, Deb, said her husband would have been humbled and honored to become the program’s first retired number.

“I almost feel like, ‘Where is he? He should be here, with us, right now,’” Deb Gallagher said. “I know he is here in spirit, but to physically be here, I miss him bad. It is such a tribute to him and an honor to him, I can’t even tell you how thankful I am.”

A member of the class of 1958, Gallagher led the Little Giant to their only state championship game appearance. His senior season, he posted numbers that are hard to fathom.

He went 7-0 that year with six no-hitters, including a perfect game in the district final. He posted a 0.52 earned run average and, maybe most impressive, struck out 132 of the 151 batters he faced that season. He was named all-Ohio in 1958 and later that year signed a professional contract with the Detroit Tigers. He appeared in nine games for Detroit in the 1962 season.

Doug Gallagher’s widow, Deb, and sons, Brent (left) and Doug Jr., (right) accept the plaque in honor of Doug Gallagher’s number retirement.

“He was always proud to be a Little Giant and he always talked highly about his playing days and it’s amazing what he was able to recall,” said his son, Brent Gallagher. “I couldn’t believe the things he’d pick up on and start telling about a certain game or how they made it all the way to the state finals. He could tell you about every game verbatim what happened.”

Former longtime Ross head coach Mark King said the process to retire Gallagher’s number was a lengthy one. He said the district is hesitant to set a precedent of taking numbers out of circulation due to the high number of athletes participating in various sports.

But Gallagher, for both his athletic success and, just as importantly, his support of the program long after his playing days ended, made him worthy of making an exception.

“He was the first guy that came in and worked with our pitchers,” King said. “For years, he was the first guy to offer a hand when we needed it. …“He was a steady face in Tigers camp in Lakeland, (Florida), he’d go every year and bring apparel back from Lakeland for us to auction off for fund-raising to build this field. Every single year.”

Doug Gallagher’s No. 32 was painted next to the Little Giants’ pitching mound for Wednesday’s game against Clay.

It’s that pride in being a Little Giant and commitment to the program that King and current head coach, Jared King, want today’s players to embrace. Little Giant pitchers will be expected to pay respect to Gallagher by touching his retired number before they step onto the pitcher’s mound before every game and practice.

“When they step on the mound,” Mark King said, “they know what hard work as a baseball player, and as a person, where it can get you.”

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