WASHINGTON – The Georgetown University community mourns the passing of Frank "Gags" Gagliano, a Hall of Fame coach in the sport of track & field and cross country. Over a 16-year career, the last 14 as the Director of the Track & Field / Cross Country program, Gagliano solidified his spot as a seminal figure not just on the Hilltop, but within the sport as a whole. In July, USA Track & Field (USATF) named the men's 800-meter race at its national championships in his honor.
 
"Frank Gagliano's Hall of Fame career elevated athletes to greatness, but a stopwatch could never measure his true impact. For every Olympian he coached, hundreds of athletes used his guidance as a roadmap for life. A devoted husband, father, teacher, and friend, Gags left an indelible mark on the sport, and an unforgettable legacy in the lives of those who knew him." - Francis X. Rienzo Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Lee Reed
 
"Coach Gags has impacted the lives of so many men and women, not only here on the Hilltop but throughout his coaching career from high school to collegiately and professionally. Our Hoya track family is heartbroken but not broken - his legacy has strengthened us beyond measure and we can take solace in all the wonderful memories created from knowing this amazing man. He will remain a colossal figure far beyond the Georgetown Track & Field / Cross Country program. I am honored to be walking in the footsteps of this coaching legend and will be forever grateful for what he has meant not just to me but everyone fortunate to be touched by his love and support. We sincerely thank his family for sharing him with so many of us, especially the Hoya Family. Above all, our deepest appreciation to Coach Gags for his time and for every lesson he taught us." - Director of Track & Field / Cross Country Alton McKenzie
 
From 1983 to 1999, his unrelenting demand for excellence resulted in countless accomplishments for the student-athletes he coached, including 140 All-America honors, five Olympians, seven individual national champions, 23 BIG EAST championship teams, eight indoor IC4A team titles, two outdoor IC4A crowns, 58 individual IC4A champions, eight Penn Relay Championship of America titles, including a world-record-breaking distance medley relay team, and 46 school records.
 
Gagliano earned two National Coach of the Year awards and coached Team USA at the 1993 World University Games. Beyond the successes of his performers, his legacy is far-reaching. He increased the diversity and breadth of the track and field program and supported the expansion and rise of the women's program.
 
From 1993 to 2001, he coached the Enclave, a post-collegiate training group that he founded and nurtured, and that included many of his former athletes. He went on to coach the Nike Farm Team in Palo Alto, California, a West Coast version of the Enclave with athletes from across the country, before a stint with the Oregon Track Club. Eventually, he returned back to the East Coast with a full lineup at the New Jersey-New York Track Club.
 
Gagliano was inducted into the USTFCCCA Hall of Fame in 2003. In 2006, Gagliano was enshrined in the Georgetown Athletics Hall of Fame. The following year, the 1987 Georgetown men's distance medley relay squad that won Penn Relays under his tutelage was inducted into the Penn Relays Wall of Fame. And most recently, in July at Icahn Stadium in New York, Gagliano was present as USATF named the men's 800-meter race in his honor at its outdoor national championships for his lasting legacy as one of the most influential figures in American distance running, specifically in that event.