David Halligan was a super competitive athlete in high school at Falmouth. He was a speedy contact hitter in baseball, a sharp shooting, intelligent basketball player, and a truly gifted soccer player with skills, speed, and quickness. However, no one could have predicted the kind of athletic success that lay before him; and no one could have known of the thousands of lives Coach Halligan changed through his leadership and example.
After high school, David attended USM in Gorham. He concentrated on baseball and basketball in college while staying in contact with soccer through pick- up games. David’s coaching career took off when he took over the Yatchmen basketball program in 1986.
It was a perfect fit. The community and school provided him with the tools to create perennial title contenders. He organized a youth program and started summer basketball to compete with rivals Cape Elizabeth and Greely in the tough Triple-C League. While David coached basketball he also served as soccer coach, often having the same student-athletes in both sports. That allowed him to develop close relationships with the young men he led into battle twice a week. David has over 1000 victories in the two sports over his 34 years career.
In basketball, Coach Halligan has amassed 526 wins, putting him in range of the all-time basketball coaching record held by Dick Barstow of 664. However, the wins and losses don’t tell the whole story; Dave’s teams have won 11 Western Maine Championships and 6 Gold Balls.
His teams have won at an amazing 80% clip. Put another way, for every ten games his basketball teams play, they win eight times, for over thirty years! Unbelievable!
David stills lives, teaches, and coaches at Falmouth High School and as his career winds down, he will leave his school one of the most successful athletic schools, in all sports, in Maine. This perfect marriage between institution, individual, and community could not have been better.
David Halligan’s induction into the Maine Basketball Hall of Fame is highly deserved and his presence enriches the Hall of Fame.