Frank Gagliano, Hall of Fame Distance Coach Known as Gags, Dies at 89

Frank Gagliano, the Hall of Fame distance coach known as Gags who guided more than a dozen Olympians during a career that lasted more than six decades, died on Sunday night, October 25, 2026, at the age of 89. FloTrack reported his death on Monday, October 26. Citius Mag also reported that he died on Sunday night, and the cause of death has not been publicly disclosed.

Gagliano was born on March 20, 1937, in the Bronx, New York. He built his name first in New Jersey high school running, then at Manhattan College, Rutgers and Georgetown, and later with professional training groups that kept American distance runners together between college and the national team.

A coaching job that started by accident

His coaching career began in 1960 at Roselle Catholic High School in New Jersey. Gagliano had played quarterback at the University of Richmond and took the Roselle Catholic job expecting to start a football program. When that plan fell through, he turned to track and field instead.

The switch worked quickly. In 1965, Roselle Catholic became the first high school to win both the distance medley relay and the two-mile relay at the Penn Relays. In 1969 he joined Manhattan College as an assistant coach, and he helped the team win the 1973 NCAA indoor team championship.

Georgetown, and the groups that followed

At Georgetown he led the Hoyas to 23 Big East team championships and developed 140 All-Americans. The USTFCCCA Hall of Fame record lists 140 All-America performers, seven individual national champions and 23 Big East championship teams under Gagliano, along with National Coach of the Year awards in 1991 and 1999. He also coached Team USA at the 1993 World University Games.

After college coaching, he helped build a series of professional groups for distance runners. He founded the Reebok Enclave in 1992, a training group that went on to produce 11 Olympians, and he later helped build the Nike Farm Team and Oregon Track Club Elite. He began leading the New Jersey-New York Track Club in 2010.

The runners, and one shout at the Trials

His athletes included Olympians Nick Symmonds, Nicole Teter, Steve Holman, Julie Culley and Donn Cabral. Symmonds and Christian Smith were part of the United States men's 800m sweep at the 2008 Olympic Trials in Eugene.

His coaching was built on a philosophy of strength and speed. At the 2012 United States Olympic Trials, his athlete Julie Culley won the women's 5000 meters in 15:13.77 to secure her place on the United States Olympic team for the London Games. Gagliano shouted "Hit it!" from trackside as Culley found another gear with roughly 100 meters remaining.

Gagliano was inducted into the USTFCCCA Hall of Fame in 2003. In 2026, USATF named the national championships men's 800m in his honor.