By LINDA CHION KENNEY
The death of Ricky Alonzo Gallon hit hard this month, as a man with a big heart for kids and with his legacy long established as the first Tampa graduate to be drafted into the National Basketball Association.
Born in Monticello, Fla., and a resident of Tampa Bay for 50 years, Gallon played basketball at Jefferson High and at the University of Louisville before the now-defunct Buffalo Braves drafted him in 1978.
After three seasons in the NBA, and 17 years playing basketball in Europe, Gallon returned home and, eventually, gave a big piece of his heart to youth sports development. It was a full-circle moment for Gallon, of Valrico, who in the 1960s was a “club kid” in west Tampa.
Decades later, as the Boys & Girls Club of Tampa Bay community liaison, Gallon was at The Regent in Riverview on Aug. 7, 2019, to help acknowledge a donation for $500 on behalf of Earl Lennard of Riverview. It was presented at the annual Teaching to Excellence event that Lennard had helped to establish through the Greater Riverview Chamber of Commerce, now known as the Central Hillsborough County Chamber of Commerce.
The Instagram image posted on Instagram by Boys & Girls Club of Tampa Bay
The namesake of the high school in Ruskin, and a much-beloved superintendent of Hillsborough County schools, Lennard died Dec. 23, 2019, at age 77, after being hospitalized with a prolonged illness since Thanksgiving 2018.
The check, on behalf of Lennard, was for the Sandy & George Simmons Family Riverview Boys & Girls Club, at 6809 Krycul Ave., which community leaders, including Lennard, had helped to establish.
“Earl Lennard, Dick Stowers, Joe Garcia, Ray Campo and the Simmons family, these people brought in people who wanted to give back to the community,” Gallon said at the time about the Riverview club’s formation. “I really like the way they had the foresight to be a part of something that’s bigger than yourself, that will be here long after you’re gone. These are people with big hearts and amazing roots in the community, always there for us.”
Today, many hold Gallon in the same high esteem, as evidenced by the outpouring of posts and news reports in the aftermath of his death, Jan. 10, at age 67. Gallon for roughly 30 years worked with Boys & Girls Clubs of Tampa Bay. Most recently he worked as chief partnership officer for The Skills Center, a sports-based youth development organization.
“He poured his heart into serving the children and communities we support, always going above and beyond to ensure every young person had the opportunity to reach their full potential and that every team member had a lending hand,” reads a comment posted by Boys & Girls Clubs of Tampa Bay.
“Ricky was a pillar in our community,” reads a post from The Skills Center, “a beacon of positivity and a steadfast advocate for youth development. His unwavering commitment to empowering young people and building meaningful partnerships has left an indelible mark on countless lives.”
Ricky Gallon, in 2019, with youth at the Sandy & George Simmons Family Riverview Boys & Girls Club in Riverview
According to Gallon’s obituary, he died Jan. 10, with internment at the Rest Haven Memorial Cemetery in Tampa set to follow funeral services Jan. 25 at the Center for Manifestation in Tampa, with the Rev. Leon Gallon officiating.
“Many will remember him as a gentle giant, not only for his stature, but also for the [enormousness] of his kind heart,” reads Gallon’s online obituary. It notes “countless awards and recognitions,” including Gallon’s induction into the Sports Club of Tampa Hall of Fame, his receipt of the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office’s Lifetime Achievement Award and the Lightning Foundation’s Lightning Community Hero award.
As for Gallon, he was known to heap praise on the likes of community leaders who preceded him and pay homage to the wisdom he gleaned from working beside them.
Courtesy Photos
The obituary photo for RIcky Alonzo Gallon, at legacy.com
“Dr. Lennard would say, ‘It’s not about us. It’s not about you or me. It’s about the kids and what we can do to make sure they have everything they need,’” Gallon said. “He said you can’t expect everything to happen overnight. Sometimes it takes time to build things.”
Turns out, Gallon did exactly that, taking time to build a legacy informed by his life as a “club kid” and his experiences as a professional athlete, and encouraged and supported by the community pillars he respected so much.
One key thing Gallon said he learned from Lennard, as recounted in Gallon’s 2019 interview, is “that you have to treat everybody with respect and sometimes you need to chime in and ask questions instead of telling everyone what to do.”
Gallon added, “I’ll always take that with me,” and today he leaves behind a legacy of his own, as a gentle giant with a kind heart and a steadfast devotion for kids and their development.
To read Gallon’s obituary, visit www.legacy.com/.