For the better part of six decades, Brian “Ziggy” Gillespie has made headlines as an athlete, coach and running advocate and now, in his late-70s, Gillespie is hopeful that his life’s experiences and accomplishments will result in his being selected as part of the 2025 Class of the Maine Sports Hall of Fame.
“I’ve been nominated quite a few times,” said Gillespie, a Portland resident. “It would mean a lot to get in. A lot of my friends are in. I told my Dad before he passed away years ago that I’d try to get in. I consider myself a little guy who’s done a lot.”
Gillespie is already a member of the Maine Running Hall of Fame (inducted in 1996) and the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame (inducted in 2000). He was also inducted into the St. Joseph’s College Athletic Hall of Fame in 2013.
Gillespie first made his mark as a runner and baseball player at Cape Elizabeth High School (Class of 1965). The zig-zag movement on his curveball earned him his longtime nickname.
Gillespie went on to compete at the University of Maine at Portland (now the University of Southern Maine) and got into coaching at St. Joseph’s College, when it was a much smaller school than it is today.
Gillespie built the St. Joseph’s program into a powerhouse during his seven-years (1981-87) as head coach. The Monks won NAIA New England championships in 1981, 1982 and 1983. In 1987, St. Joe’s won the Maine state championship, as well an NCAA New England title. Gillespie was three times named New England Coach of the Year.
“We had some of the strongest cross country teams in the country back then,” Gillespie said. “I loved coaching and recruiting. We did well.”
Rick Simonds, the veteran, well-known basketball coach, was at St. Joe’s at the time and hired Gillespie.
“Ziggy was driven to succeed, he was very organized and was a relentless recruiter,” Simonds said. “He knew most everyone in the running community as he was heavily into that himself. I think the most fascinating anecdote I could give you is we had a runner named John Howe from Ellsworth who as a freshman, won the NAIA regional, thus qualifying for the Nationals. The next year he was the sixth-best runner on our team. That, is recruiting.”
Gillespie also served as the assistant director of admissions at the University of New England and started the Maine Track Club in 1979.
“It’s the oldest club in the country,” said Gillespie. “We sponsored the Maine Marathon for 41 years.”
In 2005, Gillespie took over the cross country program at Waynflete School in Portland and quickly turned it into a contender. The Flyers girls’ squad won Class C state titles in 2007, 2008 and 2009, finished runner-up on three other occasions and placed third five times.
“I had great success coaching women,” said Gillespie, a longtime supporter of female runners who created “Woman Only” races back in the 1970s. “I think I’ve done a lot for the women’s game.”
The boys’ team was runner-up in 2011 and posted three other third-place finishes.
“I really enjoyed Waynflete,” said Gillespie, who coached through the 2019 season. “We had some huge teams and we did very well.”
Ross Burdick, the longtime Waynflete athletic director, credits Gillespie for turning the Flyers into a powerhouse on the trails.
“Ziggy had success in all aspects of the sport due to his passion and vast experience with running,” Burdick said. “He coached three state champion teams and he coached six individual champions. Waynflete cross country also earned an MPA Sportsmanship award under Ziggy’s leadership. Ziggy’s love for his athletes attracted students to the sport of cross country. When he took over, there were six runners on the team, but very quickly he grew the program and routinely had 25 athletes in the program.”
The typical Maine Sports Hall of Fame class features in the neighborhood of 10 to 12 inductees.
While the Hall is still dealing with a COVID-related backlog, Gillespie expects to hear about 2025 class in the not too distant future.
“I hope Ziggy makes it,” said Simonds.
“I’m hoping for good news when the time comes,” said Gillespie, a father of two, grandfather of four and now a great-grandfather as well. “My days of winning races are long gone, but it would mean a lot to my family.”
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