Delco D.A.: High school coach faces DUI charge

JOE GALLAGHER is going to need a good defensive coordinator.

Gallagher, 58, longtime football coach at Haverford High School in Delaware County, faces DUI and reckless-driving charges after he allegedly fled the scene of a crash in Prospect Park on Saturday, according to the Delaware County District Attorney's Office.

Police say Gallagher allegedly drove into another vehicle about 4 p.m. at an intersection in the borough and fled, according to an affidavit filed in the case.

No one was injured in the collision.

Later, an officer from the Prospect Park Police Department pulled Gallagher over after spotting his car, which matched the description provided by witnesses.

Inside the car's center cup holder was an open bottle of Piraat Belgian Ale, according to the affidavit.

Gallagher, who had "a faint odor of alcohol on his breath," told the officer that he "messed up."

"I hit [the other driver] and should have stopped," he allegedly told the officer.

Gallagher has taken a leave of absence from his coaching position for "personal reasons," according to Amanda Larsen, a spokeswoman for the Haverford Township School District.

Jack O'Donnell, an assistant coach at Haverford High, will serve as the acting head coach, Larsen said.

Gallagher has led the Haverford Fords for 23 seasons. The squad finished its current season 7-3, including a big win over Ridley High on Halloween that put them in the PIAA District 1 Class AAAA playoffs.

They face top-seed Coatesville High tomorrow.