Gary was a 3 year letterwinner in hockey from 1969-71. During those three years, Gary helped lead Central to 3 State Hockey Championships during a decade of dominance in boys’ hockey. Gary was an All-Conference and All-State selection his junior and senior year and was named team MVP his senior year. He still holds a Boys State Hockey Tournament record after recording 5 assists in one game. After his high school career, he moved on to the University of North Dakota and played 2 years.
Gary looks back on his playing days at Central, "I'll forever remember the teammates I was able to share the dominating teams our coaches put together. The work ethic instilled in us from Coach Gambucci pushed us to excel and to never be satisfied with anything but our best. In three years of varsity hockey, we lost one game in each of those 3 years, which still haunts me today, it was all about preparation. Most importantly, my best memory was playing with my brother Bob for 2 of those seasons."
After his playing career was over, Gary moved on to coaching, where he was the Head Coach at Indus, Mn (85-87), Grafton-Park River (89-91), and Red River (93-98). He lead the Spoilers to a State title in 1991 and the Rough Riders to titles in 1996, 1997, and 1998. Gary currently resides in Grand Forks. He retired from teaching in the Grand Forks Public Schools in 2015 and now works for ICON HD, doing Commercial and Industrial Construction. Gary has been married to his wife Cindy for 43 years. They have two daughters, Laura and Gina. He also has 2 grandsons and 2 granddaughters. Gary joins his father, Fido Purpur, in the Grand Forks Central Athletic Hall of Fame.