| School: Cleveland | Graduation Year: 1962 |
Year Inducted: 2020
Sports Played: Football, Wrestling, Track and Field
High School Honors: 3 letters each in Football, Wrestling, and Track. 2nd team All-PIL linebacker and 3rd team halfback as a Senior. Undefeated PIL Wrestling Champion as a Junior (178#) and Senior (191#). 2nd Place All-State (191#) as a Senior. Competed in High Jump, Hurdles, Discus, Javelin.
Post High School Career: 1 year Football at Boise State Junior College. Independent Construction Contractor for 48 years. 30-year member of the Professional Ski Instructor Assn. Level 2; member of ski patrol.
Commentary:
(From Banquet Introduction). It is unfortunate that Mike Gilgan, one of our two eldest Inductees, can’t be with us this evening, but it is fortunate that wrestling teammate Jerry Grover can be here in his stead with a perspective covering over 60 years of friendship. Both men have lasting memories of their Hall of Fame coach Don York. “Coach York was a master at keeping us motivated and adapting to our individual needs,” remembers Grover. Grover also remembers Mike as “a tall, good-looking redhead who was strong, coordinated, and quite humble for all his athletic prowess.”
Gilgan was undefeated at 178 pounds as a junior and 191 pounds as a senior in two PIL champion seasons. He earned 3 letters each in football and track at Cleveland, and post high school he became more than a decent AAU Boxing light-heavyweight and excelled 30+ years on ski slopes as a Professional Ski Instructor and member of the Ski Patrol. At age 78 he is 50+ years into a career as an Independent Construction Contractor in Minnesota.