Impact of a Scholarship: Rob Galligan

Rob Galligan will be forever grateful for his time at the University of Maryland, where he earned undergraduate and master’s degrees while playing five years on the Terrapin baseball team. After beginning his career as a walk-on, Galligan earned a scholarship, while playing for the program during its most successful era in more than 40 years. In earning his scholarship and playing in two NCAA Regionals, Galligan has memories that will last a lifetime. 

“Some of the best talents in the world have walked through [our] campus and being a Maryland student-athlete was very, very special,” he said. “It was a huge honor to be a Maryland student-athlete because of the legacy that it holds. Being at the University of Maryland, you are the representative of the state and just all the Maryland pride that it has. It’s an honor to be in that conversation.”

Growing up in an athletic family in Syosset, New York, Galligan has always had a passion for baseball and the mindset to be successful at a high level. His two younger brothers would also go on to have successful collegiate athletic careers.

“My two younger brothers both played Division I athletics as well. One played lacrosse at Georgetown and the other played lacrosse at St. John’s,” he said. “I’ve been playing sports my entire life. I was like three years old playing tee-ball, and I have played baseball my entire life.”

As Galligan hit his growth spurt at a young age, he began attracting college interest in his freshman year of high school. However, throughout his time at St. Dominic High School on Long Island, he would be limited in playing time as he battled through several injuries. As many of his offers fell through, Maryland Coach Erik Bakich decided to take a chance on Galligan. 

“I was battling some injuries,” he said. “All the opportunities that hadn't solidified yet kind of fizzled away because of those injuries. Coach gave me an opportunity and I took it and ran with it.”

Galligan still recalls visiting the University of Maryland for the first time in his junior year of high school. While visiting campus, Galligan attended one of the most memorable Terrapin basketball games, which would solidify his passion for Maryland sports. He emphasized how great the atmosphere had been after the team won and how the students celebrated down Route 1. 

“My first visit to campus was my junior year in high school. It was a great time visiting campus. That night Maryland basketball beat Duke for the ACC regular-season title in 2010. It was a really cool experience” he said.

Once Galligan began attending Maryland in the Fall of 2011, his hard work and dedication both on and off the field would lead to the beginning of his great success.

“I was offered a non-scholarship roster spot after one year. I took it and ran with it. I didn't get any Division I scholarships so I was a recruited walk-on. I had some success in my redshirt junior year, and then I parlayed that into my fifth year. I was able to graduate with my bachelor's degree, and was awarded a scholarship for my fifth year,” he said.

During those years at the University of Maryland, Galligan prides himself most in being a member of the team that seemingly saved baseball for the Maryland Terrapins. 

Galligan was part of the Maryland teams that would go on to play in an ACC championship game and a Big Ten Championship game, playing in two NCAA Regionals. In 2014 and 2015, the Terrapins would go on to beat the #1 seed in their respective home stadiums at South Carolina and UCLA. 

“Watching the selection show, actually seeing our name getting called for the first time in 43 years, that was pretty awesome,” he said. “Then going down there, beating South Carolina. That was their first postseason loss at home since 2004. And then dog piling at South Carolina was something that I’ll never forget.”

These memories of his team's success and the moments with his teammates are something that Galligan will forever cherish. 

“Being one game away from a College World Series one of those years and then just everything in between that was something I’ll truly never forget. That was a special group of guys. We had some fun times together,” said Galligan, who served as a team captain with the Terrapins. 

When Galligan received his scholarship offer in his fifth year, he was very thankful for the opportunity to further his athletic and academic career. 

“Just getting that scholarship opportunity going into my fifth year and being able to pursue my master's degree,” said Galligan, who earned that Master’s in Supply Chain Management from the Smith Business School. “I just called my parents and told them that I'd be able to play my fifth year and get a scholarship and it was very very special to me because I knew how hard I worked to get there. I earned that.”

Galligan emphasized that earning a scholarship allowed him the opportunity to attend graduate school with a lessened financial burden and also enabled him to utilize a strong network and degree to advance his professional career.

“Being on scholarship gave me the resources that I never would have received. It gave me the ability to network and use that Smith School Alumni tool as a resource for myself. It is something that can never be taken away from me and that I'm very appreciative of,” he said. “I probably would not have pursued the master's degree that I pursued without the scholarship that I received.”

Galligan is now working as a division manager at a Fortune 500 construction company, TruTeam in Baltimore and serves the greater DMV area, where he has spent his past four years. He was also recently named to the Terrapin Club’s 30 under 30 for 2021. 

He emphasizes that being on scholarship has allowed him to reach this professional success and that he will be forever grateful for the donors of his scholarship, and the personal relationship that the Terrapin club creates between a student-athlete and donor. 

“I know that every athlete I've talked to is forever grateful and forever indebted to those donors. And what I think is even more special is the actual personal relationship that there is between donors and student-athletes'' he said. “That person is giving you that opportunity and now it's your job to reciprocate that act of kindness by working your tail off every single day on and off the field and being the best version of yourself.”