Marshall University Athletics
MCGILL: Gale family gets unique matchup as Herd visits Boise
9/5/2019 11:53:00 AM | Football, General, Word on the Herd
Uncle vs. nephew is a storyline for Friday's ESPN2 game
By Chuck McGill
HerdZone.com
BOISE, Idaho – Mark Gale, the Assistant Athletic Director for Football Operations at Marshall, is in his 30th season with the Thundering Herd. He has dedicated most of his life to football.
Never, though, has he ever looked across the field and witnessed a Gale on the other sideline.
Mark's nephew, Tyson, is the assistant director of sports performance at Boise State, which will host Marshall on Friday night at 9 Eastern (7 p.m. in Boise) in front of a sold out crowd and ESPN2 national television audience. Tyson, of course, has history with the Herd. He was four-year long snapper, three-year starter at linebacker and team captain as a senior football player at Marshall.
"I am proud of all of my nieces and nephews, but he's the only one I'm going to be facing off against Friday night," Mark Gale said. "I'll love him until kickoff and for three hours he will blend in with the blue and orange and white. And then, at midnight eastern standard time, he'll turn back into a pumpkin and I'll love him again."
Mark and Tyson have always been close. Mark was born in Ada, Oklahoma, and grew up in Purcell, Oklahoma. He came to Huntington three decades ago and has been running with the Herd ever since. Tyson grew up in Alva, Oklahoma, and played high school football for his father, Steve.
Mark has three sisters and one brother, Steve, who is younger than Mark by 13 months.
"We were thick as thieves," Mark said of his younger brother.
So Mark was elated when Marshall offered Tyson a scholarship. Tyson played from 2008-11, and was second on the team in tackles and first in tackles for a loss as a senior. Then, Tyson transitioned to a graduate assistant role working with the wide receivers so he could get familiar with the other side of the ball.
When a spot in the strength room opened, Doc Holliday shifted Tyson there. It was supposed to be temporary, but Tyson found his calling.
"I had a degree in exercise physiology, but I hadn't given much thought to working in strength," Tyson said. "I kind of got the bug."
Now, Tyson is the primary strength coach for football at Boise State, which opened the season by defeating Florida State on the road last Saturday. This is the 18th consecutive season the Broncos have appeared in the national rankings at least once.
Boise State returned to the Top 25 after the big road win a week ago. The Broncos twice erased deficits of 18 points to knock off the ACC team. Mark Gale could see his nephew's work in the team's effort.
"You saw the energy he had when he was here and you could see the energy when you watch Boise on TV on the sidelines," Mark said. "That's how he played – pedal to the metal. I'm sure he brings some juice for them."
This is Tyson's fifth season at Boise State, and he has received constant reminders of this game since it was announced in late October four years ago. A giant map in the football offices lists Boise State's future opponents.
"Our football AD came up to me at practice and told me one day that we scheduled the Herd in 2019," Tyson said. "It seemed so far away. I didn't think that far ahead."
The home-and-home series will be completed next season when Boise State visits Huntington to face Marshall on Oct. 3, 2020.
"I keep track of Marshall, for sure," Tyson said. "Social media helps, but those are my brothers."
It's always been about family and football for the Gales. Tyson's parents will be in Boise for the game, but they'll ditch their Kelly green for blue and orange. There's a planned get-together Thursday night so Mark can see his brother and sister-in-law.
"It's going to be strange because I know my brother will be wearing those colors after years and years of wearing green, but it's fully understandable," Mark said. "I would be the same way.
"I'll find Tyson on the field Friday in pregame and we'll give each other a quick hug. I'm very proud of him."
Chuck McGill is the Assistant Athletic Director for Fan/Donor Engagement and Communications at Marshall University and a seven-time winner of the National Sports Media Association West Virginia Sportswriter of the Year award. In addition to HerdZone.com's Word on the Herd, McGill is the editor of Thundering Herd Illustrated, Marshall's official athletics publication. Follow him on Twitter (@chuckmcgill) and Instagram (wordontheherd).
