Another former Iowa football standout will be joining the esteemed ranks of college football's all-time greats: Robert Gallery was named as part of the College Football Hall of Fame's 2023 induction class.
Robert Gallery came to Iowa as a barely-recruited tight end; he left Iowa as one of the most dominant offensive linemen in program history and became the #2 overall pick in the 2004 NFL Draft. The CFB Hall of Fame summarizes his career quite well:
A mountain of a man at 6-foot-7, 325-lbs, who also possessed speed and agility, Robert Gallery dominated at left tackle and helped transform the Hawkeye offense during his time at Iowa. The Masonville, Iowa, native now becomes the 11th Iowa player to enter the College Football Hall of Fame.
Gallery started his career as a redshirt freshman tight end on a team that had gone 1-10 the previous season during Kirk Ferentz's first year at Iowa. Gallery played the final six games at right tackle and the Hawkeyes finished the season 3-9. The Iowa-Ferentz transformation began in earnest his sophomore season, and Gallery started all 12 games at left tackle, contributing to an offense that led the Big Ten Conference in scoring with 32.6 points per game. The team finished 7-5 with a 19-16 win over Texas Tech in the Alamo Bowl.
During his junior campaign, Gallery started all 13 games at left tackle and was named a First Team All-Big Ten selection. He protected the blind side for quarterback Brad Banks, who passed for an impressive 2,573 yards and 26 touchdowns as the Davey O'Brien winner and Heisman Trophy runner-up. Gallery also opened holes for running backs Fred Russell and Jermelle Lewis, who combined for 1,937 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns. The team's point total ranked seventh in the nation, averaging 37.2 points per game and leading the Big Ten for a second straight season. The team went 11-2, winning the most games in program history and claimed Iowa's first Big Ten title in 12 years. The Hawkeyes appeared in the Orange Bowl and notched a No. 8 final AP ranking.
His senior season, Gallery again earned First Team Big Ten laurels, adding the Outland Trophy and unanimous First Team All-America honors to his résumé. He led Iowa to another double-digit-win season (10-3) and was named co-captain and co-MVP for the season while also claiming Big Ten Conference Offensive Lineman of the Year honors. Iowa concluded the season with a 37-17 victory against Florida in the Outback Bowl and again finished No. 8 in the final AP Poll, the first back-to-back top 10 finishes for Iowa since the 1950s.
A three-time First Team All-Big Ten selection, Gallery also earned Academic All-Big Ten honors for three consecutive seasons. He was inducted into the University of Iowa Athletics Hall of Fame in 2017, and he was added to Iowa's America Needs Farmers Wall of Honor at Kinnick Stadium in 2015, recognizing student-athletes for their tenacity, work ethic and exemplifying the character of American farmers.
Drafted second overall by Oakland in the 2004 NFL Draft, Gallery played 104 career games with the Raiders (2004-10) and Seahawks (2011), starting all but one game.
Gallery currently owns Vintage Trucker LLT, a company that supplies classic American-made cars to pro athletes. He resides in California, returning to his family's farm in Masonville, Iowa, every fall to help his parents harvest corn and soybeans.
Gallery is part of a 2023 Hall of Fame class that includes several other outstanding players from the early part of the 21st century, including Eric Berry, Michael Bishop, Reggie Bush, Dwight Freeney, LaMichael James, Derrick Johnson, Bill Kollar, Luke Kuechly, Jeremy Maclin, Terance Mathis, Bryant McKinnie, Corey Moore, Michael Stonebreaker, Tim Tebow, Troy Vincent, Brian Westbrook, and DeAngelo Williams.
Congratulations to all of the inductees, who represent just 0.02% of all the men who've played college football.
Gallery becomes the 11th Iowa player to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, joining Duke Slater, Nile Kinnick, Gordon Locke, Aubrey Divine, Cal Jones, Alex Karras, Randy Duncan, Chuck Long, Larry Station, and Andre Tippett. Tippett was the most recent inductee, joining the Hall of Fame in 2021. In addition, five Iowa coaches are also enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame: Howard Jones, Eddie Anderson, Skip Madigan, Forest Evashevski, and Hayden Fry.
This honor also means that Gallery is now eligible for inclusion on the Wall of Honor at Kinnick Stadium. The criteria to be eligible for a spot on the Wall of Honor are:
1. Member of both the National Football Foundation College Football Hall of Fame and the Helms Athletic Foundation Hall of Fame*
2. Member of one of the two above mentioned nationally recognized Halls of Fame, and a consensus All-American
3. Two-time Consensus All-American
* The Helms Athletic Foundation Hall of Fame is no longer active.
Gallery qualifies under the second criterion -- he was a consensus All-American in 2003 and now he'll be a member of the College Football Hall of Fame.
Once again, a hearty congratulations to Robert Gallery on receiving one of the highest honors available for a college football player. It was a joy to watch him play college football at Iowa and his dominance at that level was clear to see, especially in his junior and senior seasons, when he routinely planted opposing defenders into the turf. It was great to see you in action, Robert, and it's wonderful to see your legacy being celebrated in this way.