tntrojan
03-15-2005, 12:56 PM
Some might remember that he was the coach of the '84 National Champion Trojans...
Tech's Gailey suffers heart attack
By MIKE KNOBLER
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 03/14/05
Georgia Tech will hold its first spring football practice in pads as scheduled today, one day after head football coach Chan Gailey suffered a heart attack.
The 53-year-old Gailey remains at Piedmont Hospital, recovering from an angioplasty performed Monday. He's expected to remain hospitalized for several more days, but there's been no timetable set on a return to his job.
This morning the school announced that Gailey's duties would be divided among his assistants. Offensive coordinator Patrick Nix will run the offense, defensive coordinator Jon Tenuta the defense, and assistant head coach Buddy Geis will deal with Gailey's administrative duties.
Gailey was playing his regular early-morning game of racquetball on Monday at the Campus Recreation Center when he felt pain in his chest and down his left arm.
Gailey called the athletics department sports medicine staff at about 7:30 a.m., and Jay Shoop and Clay Farr rushed over with a defibrillator. By the time they arrived, Gailey had gone next door to the Student Health Center, where doctors determined his condition was serious enough to transport him to Piedmont Hospital.
Gailey didn't want to go. He's lucky he did.
"It was touch and go for a little while," Tech athletics director Dave Braine said. "I was scared."
At Piedmont doctors performed an angioplasty, inflating a balloon to unblock an artery that, Braine said, was 100 percent blocked. Doctors told Gailey they expect him to make a complete recovery after three to five days in the hospital, Shoop said. Gailey was conscious throughout, Shoop said, and was resting comfortably late Monday.
"His family, his wife and his two [grown] sons are with him, and he's doing well," Braine said. "The worst thing is he's not going to be able to eat ice cream anymore, so that's not too bad."
Today is scheduled to be the football team's first spring practice in pads, but it was undecided whether practice would go forward as scheduled. Tech asked the NCAA for a waiver that would allow it to push back the practice sessions if Gailey decides he wants to do that. An NCAA ruling is expected today, Braine said. Tech already was scheduled to take next week off for spring break.
"I know the whole team's just praying for him," strong safety Chris Reis said. "I think he would want us to go ahead and go through practice . . . just press on, but it's definitely going to be his call. He's pretty humble. He doesn't want things to stop for him. The more we sit back and don't practice, the more we think about it, the harder it becomes."
Gailey doesn't smoke or drink. But former Falcons coach Dan Reeves, a friend of Gailey, said it's difficult for a football coach to eat right and the job is highly stressful. Reeves missed four weeks because of quadruple bypass surgery in 1998, and doctors encouraged him to get away from the office and onto the golf course late in the week as a stress reliever.
Gailey is 21-17 through three seasons at Tech. Gailey and defensive coordinator Jon Tenuta are usually the first ones in the office in the morning and the last to leave at night, Braine said.
"He seems to me to be very cool under pressure," Braine said, "and he's been in a lot of stressful situations in his life."
Tech's Gailey suffers heart attack
By MIKE KNOBLER
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 03/14/05
Georgia Tech will hold its first spring football practice in pads as scheduled today, one day after head football coach Chan Gailey suffered a heart attack.
The 53-year-old Gailey remains at Piedmont Hospital, recovering from an angioplasty performed Monday. He's expected to remain hospitalized for several more days, but there's been no timetable set on a return to his job.
This morning the school announced that Gailey's duties would be divided among his assistants. Offensive coordinator Patrick Nix will run the offense, defensive coordinator Jon Tenuta the defense, and assistant head coach Buddy Geis will deal with Gailey's administrative duties.
Gailey was playing his regular early-morning game of racquetball on Monday at the Campus Recreation Center when he felt pain in his chest and down his left arm.
Gailey called the athletics department sports medicine staff at about 7:30 a.m., and Jay Shoop and Clay Farr rushed over with a defibrillator. By the time they arrived, Gailey had gone next door to the Student Health Center, where doctors determined his condition was serious enough to transport him to Piedmont Hospital.
Gailey didn't want to go. He's lucky he did.
"It was touch and go for a little while," Tech athletics director Dave Braine said. "I was scared."
At Piedmont doctors performed an angioplasty, inflating a balloon to unblock an artery that, Braine said, was 100 percent blocked. Doctors told Gailey they expect him to make a complete recovery after three to five days in the hospital, Shoop said. Gailey was conscious throughout, Shoop said, and was resting comfortably late Monday.
"His family, his wife and his two [grown] sons are with him, and he's doing well," Braine said. "The worst thing is he's not going to be able to eat ice cream anymore, so that's not too bad."
Today is scheduled to be the football team's first spring practice in pads, but it was undecided whether practice would go forward as scheduled. Tech asked the NCAA for a waiver that would allow it to push back the practice sessions if Gailey decides he wants to do that. An NCAA ruling is expected today, Braine said. Tech already was scheduled to take next week off for spring break.
"I know the whole team's just praying for him," strong safety Chris Reis said. "I think he would want us to go ahead and go through practice . . . just press on, but it's definitely going to be his call. He's pretty humble. He doesn't want things to stop for him. The more we sit back and don't practice, the more we think about it, the harder it becomes."
Gailey doesn't smoke or drink. But former Falcons coach Dan Reeves, a friend of Gailey, said it's difficult for a football coach to eat right and the job is highly stressful. Reeves missed four weeks because of quadruple bypass surgery in 1998, and doctors encouraged him to get away from the office and onto the golf course late in the week as a stress reliever.
Gailey is 21-17 through three seasons at Tech. Gailey and defensive coordinator Jon Tenuta are usually the first ones in the office in the morning and the last to leave at night, Braine said.
"He seems to me to be very cool under pressure," Braine said, "and he's been in a lot of stressful situations in his life."