Coach Sam Galvam
Graduating class: 1986 - 2005
Inducted into Hall of Fame: 2011
Hall of Fame Category: Coach
Standard Times sports reporter Buddy Thomas in his article on Sam’s retirement from FHS soccer back in 2005 referred to him as “the Father of Fairhaven Soccer.” That title could not be more accurate as Sam Galvam arrived at Fairhaven High School in 1986 answering the call when a group of young men at FHS petitioned the school administration to add soccer to the athletic program.
Hall of Fame honored member Roy DaSilva was the sole experienced soccer player on a team of athletes who, under Coach Galvam’s leadership, amassed an 8-2-2 record at the varsity level and a share of the South Coast Conference Championship with Greater New Bedford Voc-Tech in that inaugural season. The very next year Galvam’s team won the SCC Championship outright.
Coach Galvam truly built this program from the original nine players who showed up that first practice. He recruited, coached, taught, inspired and motivated his players to three more South Coast Conference Championships (1989, 1990, & 1991) and never finished lower than second place in the conference during his eight years at the helm of the boys program.
In 1994, Coach Galvam saw another challenge on the horizon as the Fairhaven Girls Club soccer program planned to move to the varsity level. Sam once again answered the call and coached the girls program for the next 12 years. Although the girls teams never won a South Coast Conference Championship, Galvam’s girls teams finished in second place in their first two years and never finished below fourth place in the league. The girls soccer team fared well in tournament play as they qualified for the tournament each year and reached the South Sectional Semi-Finals twice in Galvam’s career.
Coach Galvam’s soccer teams, both boys and girls qualified for the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association’s State Soccer Tourna-ment in each of his 19 years at the helm. This is an astonishing achievement for any coach in any sport.
Soccer was not the only sport Sam coached at Fairhaven High School over the years. He also served as an assistant baseball coach in charge of the junior varsity program for three years and as a volunteer assistant for the girls varsity softball team for five years.
Sam is proud to tell you that he and his wife Deborah have been married for over 40 years and have two grown children, Derek and Raygan. He may be even more proud to tell you that he is a grandfather of two girls, eight year old Mya and six year old Ari. Yes, they both play soccer. No, Sam does not coach. He and Deborah smile, laugh and thoroughly enjoy watching the girls play.