June 17, 2008

KOZUB AND COLLEAGUES HONOR RALPH GALANTI, JR.

Erie County Legislator Daniel M. Kozub (D-Lackawanna, Buffalo) and his colleagues recently honored Ralph J. Galanti Jr. upon his induction into the Hall of Fame of Erie Community College at a ceremony in the Burt Flickinger Athletic Center Gymnasium May 8.

"The numbers 449-306-42 represent the wins, losses and ties of the Erie Community College (ECC) hockey team and demonstrate the highly effective coaching and leadership approach of Ralph Galanti, Jr.," Legislator Kozub said. "The record of the ECC varsity hockey program, which Ralph Galanti founded, developed and implemented, will live on in the annals of collegiate sports history."

Kozub noted that Galanti, affectionately known as "Chico" to family and friends, began his tenure at ECC in 1969 as an instructor, later serving as ECC's Director of Athletics for nearly three decades (1975-2005), a time of unprecedented change in collegiate athletics in the nation, state and region.

"This period of astonishing growth and achievement for the ECC athletics program is highlighted by the many awards Chico received for his leadership, including national recognition for the football program at ECC; statewide recognition through his receipt of the SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Professional Service in 1998 and regional recognition as a collegiate hockey coach by being inducted into the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame in 2004," Kozub said.

Galanti's teams won five NJCAA Region III Championships and were runners-up six times, won four International Collegiate Hockey League seasonal championships and won playoff championships five times. He was joined at the presentation by his wife, Diane.

"Chico is known for his sense of humor, dogged determination, passion, work ethic, adeptness at the art of persuasion and unquestioned integrity, qualities that combined to create a formula of personal and professional success for this humble son of Lackawanna," Kozub said.

Kozub remarked that Galanti's retirement in September 2005 may have marked an end to the Galanti era of ECC's astonishing growth from seven sports spread across three campuses to the 23 sports fostered under Chico's "One College Concept" of integration and excellence.

"Chico always remained focused on the student athletes who benefited greatly from his vision and stewardship, placing their needs above all other competing needs. This student athlete focus resulted in a successful student athletic academic tracking program, the establishment of a women's parity and equal opportunity strategy and maintaining an impressive regional competitive sports program over a long period of time," Kozub concluded.

Back to District 1 Homepage