Galen Nagle Remembered at 21st Annual Golf Tournament

Bemidji State held the 21st Annual Galen Nagle Memorial Golf Tournament at Bemidji Town and Country Club today. The event raises funds for BSU men’s hockey and the endowment fund set up in Nagle’s name. 

It’s a yearly reunion of sorts, for alumni young and old to reconnect with teammates and members of the program.

“It provides a great opportunity for guys to come back and see each other and reconnect with Bemidji and reconnect with their teammates,” says Tom Serratore, the men’s hockey coach for Bemidji State. “I think as we all get older, we’re all teammates. It doesn’t matter if you played with somebody, you share the same passion, the same love for Beaver hockey. It doesn’t matter if you’re a player or a fan, that’s the one thing there’s consistency with. We have a strong affinity for the program.”

“It’s just fun to come back and see all the guys that sometimes you just see once a year,” says Robin Anderson, who played with Nagle. “It’s just a great day for hockey alumni, always fun, have a few beers and some cigars, and have a great day.”

Galen Nagle was a goalie for the Beavers, playing on the 1984 team that had an undefeated championship season. Nagle died of cancer in 1994 at the age of 34.

“Galen was the epitome of Beaver hockey,” says Bob Fitzgerald, who was a teammate of Nagle’s. “He worked hard, he was very unselfish, very much about the team, and that’s what this is [all about]. It’s become a gathering of not only alumni but fans, supporters, community members, to come back and join us on a great day to raise money for a great cause.”

“He’s your consummate Beaver. He’s that guy that you want all your players to be like. He just did things the right way,” says Serratore.

Anderson says that even as Nagle’s health was diminishing at the end of his life, he was still dedicated and committed to his program and friends.

“I just think back to when we would play in the [Gordy] Skaar tournament with Galen, and his last couple years when he was really hurting, it didn’t matter,” he says. “He was going to play with us no matter how he felt.”

The tournament has raised over $300,000 since its inception.