UW-Eau Claire Alumni Association honors Bob Gallaher with Honorary Alumnus Award

The Honorary Alumnus Award is presented to non-alumni or non-degreed alumni who have demonstrated great love of and service to UW-Eau Claire or the greater community.

Gallaher, currently the “Hello Wisconsin” weekday morning anchor, joined WEAU in 1994 as the weekend sports anchor and reporter, later assuming the role of sports director in 1998. In 2014 he transitioned to news, anchoring the 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. broadcasts until moving to the morning show in 2021.

“I'm honored and grateful to receive the Honorary Alumnus Award from UW-Eau Claire,” Gallaher says. “During my 30-year career at WEAU, I've attended hundreds of UWEC sporting events, getting the opportunity to report on the Blugolds’ many accomplishments on and off the field.”

Gallaher adds that covering Blugold athletics over the years has been a major career highlight, allowing him to build deeper connections in the community.

“A favorite part of being a local journalist is getting to know the coaches and student-athletes and sharing their stories in their never-ending quest for excellence,” Gallaher says. 

More than a sports reporter

For Blugold women’s basketball coach Tonja Englund, this award could not be going to a more deserving recipient. In her 24 seasons at UW-Eau Claire, Englund says Gallaher’s sports reporting has not only shone a light on Blugold athletics but offered student athletes unique growth opportunities.

“Bob has always been committed to giving our athletes ‘big time’ media experiences, spotlighting them after our games, during NCAA press conferences and on the national stage,” Englund says.

“He has mentored our players and helped them grow their communication skills and confidence as future professionals through his expert interviewing. In addition, as a campus and community volunteer and role model, Bob has positively impacted generations of student-athletes at UWEC.” 

A long and diverse career 

Over his career, Gallaher has covered major events like Super Bowls, Rose Bowls and the NCAA Final Four, along with college and prep sports. Since moving to the news side of the job, Gallaher has earned many accolades for his broadcasts, including an Emmy nomination for his “A Look Inside” feature series on “Hello Wisconsin.”

“I’m proud and honored to have earned several 'Best Of' awards from the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association for the morning newscast, election coverage, live on-scene reporting, sports reporting and sports broadcasting,” Gallaher says. “I thank my colleagues for their unending support.”

Gallaher grew up in Clarendon Hills, Illinois, and is a lifelong Chicago sports fan. He earned a degree in broadcast journalism from Marquette University in 1990, and admittedly remains a “huge Marquette Golden Eagles basketball fan.”

Gallaher and his wife, Colleen, are proud parents of one daughter, Mary Kate. 

The newest member of the Blugold alumni family has the following advice for current and future students:

“Pursue your dreams! I knew I wanted to be on TV ever since I was very little when I would bring my family upstairs to my room as I acted out my own newscast, reading the news, sports scores and pointing to the map of the United States as if I were the actual weatherman,” he says.