Tag: robert gallery

Iowa to honor Robert Gallery at Saturday’s game with NFF Hall of Fame on-campus salute

Former Hawkeye Robert Gallery will be honored for his Hall of Fame career this Saturday during Iowa’s game against Michigan State.

Iowa football will honor former Hawkeye Robert Gallery during their upcoming game against Michigan State on Saturday. The University of Iowa, The National Football Foundation (NFF), & College Hall of Fame announced on Tuesday that they will jointly honor the 2023 College Football Hall of Fame electee with an NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute.

Gallery played for the University of Iowa from 1999 to 2003.  He started his career as a redshirt freshman tight end, transitioning to tackle where he started six games as a freshman. He made his full transition to offensive tackle his sophomore year, starting all 12 games at left tackle where he would stay the following two years.

He was named a first-team All-Big Ten selection in both of his final two years, helping lead Iowa to a Big Ten Championship his junior season. As a senior, he was recognized as a unanimous first-team All-American and was awarded the Outland Trophy.

Gallery would be drafted second overall in the 2004 NFL draft by the then-Oakland Raiders. He played 104 career games with the Raiders from 2004 to 2010.

Gallery was inducted into the University of Iowa Athletics Hall of Fame in 2017. Earlier this year, the College Football Hall of Fame voted to select Gallery for induction into the 2023 Class.

The 2023 College Football Hall of Fame Class will be officially inducted during the 65th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas on Dec. 5 at the ARIA Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.

During the NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salutes, each electee returns to his respective school to accept a Hall of Fame plaque that will stay on permanent display at the institution.

The events take place on the field during a home game, and many Hall of Famers cite the experience as the ultimate capstone to their careers, providing them one more chance to take the field and be recognized in front of their home crowd.

Robert Gallery will be an honorary captain for his Hawkyes one last time as they take on the Spartans Saturday night in a Big Ten clash on NBC beginning with the 6:30 p.m. CT kick from Kinnick Stadium.

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Iowa Hawkeyes football all-time roster: Offensive starters and backups

See which legends made the cut in our all-time Iowa Hawkeyes football roster, starting with the offensive starters and backups.

The Iowa Hawkeyes have a rich history with some of the game’s titans suiting up in the black and gold. Hawkeyes Wire is taking a look back at Iowa’s finest offensive playmakers, defensive standouts, specialists and coaches from its entire history.

Who makes the cut on Iowa’s all-time offensive two-deep? Which quarterbacks define the Hawkeyes’ history books? How about the running back position? Who has stolen the show in Iowa’s backfield?

Along the skill positions, which wide receivers and tight ends make it among the Hawkeyes’ all-time two deep. Who has been paving the way on Iowa’s offensive line historically? Let’s take a look at the best offensive players in Hawkeyes history.

Check out our other College Wire all-time lineups: Alabama / Arkansas / Auburn / Clemson / Colorado / Florida / Georgia / LSU / Michigan / Michigan State / Nebraska / North Carolina / Notre Dame / Ohio State / Oklahoma / Oregon / Penn State / Rutgers / Tennessee / Texas / Texas A&M / USC / Wisconsin

Two former Iowa Hawkeyes nominated for NFF Hall of Fame

Dallas Clark and Robert Gallery are two former members of the Iowa Hawkeyes football team that have been nominated for the NFF Hall of Fame.

The Iowa Hawkeyes find themselves boasting more accolades from former stars who stood out in Kinnick Stadium throughout their careers. Former Hawkeyes tight end Dallas Clark and offensive tackle Robert Gallery have been nominated for the National Football Foundation Hall of Fame.

The two overlapped for a couple of years at the beginning of the 2000s and were integral parts on offense contributing to the Hawkeyes’ success. Clark transitioned from linebacker to tight end, while Gallery made the move from tight end to offensive tackle. Those moves illustrate the success Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz has had at developing players in a myriad of ways.

Clark adds this to his recent announcement earlier this month as a soon-to-be inductee into the Iowa Hall of Fame. He spent the 1999-2002 seasons in Iowa City before going to the Indianapolis Colts in the first round of the 2003 NFL draft where he had a healthy career that included a Super Bowl title.

While at Iowa from 2000-2003, Gallery was an All-Big Ten selection, consensus All-American, and an Outland Trophy winner, which is given to the best offensive lineman in the nation. Gallery went on to be a first round selection in the 2004 NFL draft by the Oakland Raiders where he spent seven of his eight NFL seasons during a successful NFL career.

To be eligible for a nomination into the NFF Hall of Fame, a player must be recognized as a first-team All American selection and at least 10 years removed from the collegiate game. Gallery and Clark are part of a nomination class that includes 80 other former FBS players. The selections will be made in early 2023.

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How many Iowa Hawkeyes have been first-round NFL draft picks under Kirk Ferentz?

How many first-round NFL draft selections has Iowa had under head coach Kirk Ferentz? Here’s a look at that list for the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Iowa appears poised to see another Hawkeye as a first-round selection once the 2022 NFL draft rolls around on April 28. According to recent mock draft projections, Iowa center [autotag]Tyler Linderbaum[/autotag] looks like a solid bet to wind up as a first-round NFL draft pick.

If he’s selected in the first round, Linderbaum would represent the 11th player taken in the first round of the NFL draft in the [autotag]Kirk Ferentz[/autotag] era. How many of the players can you name and what does the full list look like?

Let’s take a look at all of Iowa’s first round NFL draft picks with Ferentz as head coach.

The 9 worst free agent signings in the John Schneider era

The Seattle Seahawks have had a lot of success under general manager John Schneider, but he has made his fair share of mistakes as well.

The Seattle Seahawks, under general manager John Schneider, built a near-dynasty in the early part of the decade thanks to a handful of excellent, career-defining draft selections – including Richard Sherman, Russell Wilson, Bobby Wagner, K.J. Wright, Kam Chancellor and Earl Thomas – all who well outperformed their draft spot.

Schneider also proved capable of making excellent trades to help the team, including acquiring Marshawn Lynch back in 2010 and more recent trades for Jadeveon Clowney and Quandre Diggs.

Perhaps Schneider’s biggest area of weakness is on the free agent market. Despite excellent, under the radar signings like Michael Bennett, Cliff Avril, Bradley McDougald and the undrafted addition of Doug Baldwin, the Seahawks have also dished out a handful of ugly deals that, at times, hampered the franchise’s bottom line while hurting the product on the field.

Here is a look at the nine worst free agent signings during Schneider’s tenure with the Seattle Seahawks, starting with a few who just missed the cut:

CB Jamar Taylor (2019)

CB Byron Maxwell (2018)

K Sebastian Janikowski (2018)

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8 Seahawks among nominees for College Football Hall of Fame

Ken Norton, Jr. and a bevy of Seahawks, including Steve Hutchinson and Bobby Engram, are eligible for the College Football Hall of Fame.

The nominees for the College Football Hall of Fame Class of 2021 have been announced, with 99 Division 1 football players – including seven former Seattle Seahawks and one current coach – all on the ballot.

Defensive coordinator Ken Norton, Jr., who played his college ball at UCLA, is on the ballot, along with seven former Seattle players: receiver Bobby Engram, defensive end Dwight Freeney, guard Robert Gallery, receiver Mike Hass, guard Steve Hutchinson, kicker Sebastian Janikowski and running back C.J. Spiller.

Engram starred for the Seahawks from 2001-2008, hauling in 399 receptions for 4,859 yards and 18 touchdowns, making him among the most prolific receivers in franchise history. He played his college ball at Penn State and won the Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s best receiver in 1994.

Freeney was a seven time Pro Bowl defensive end who finished his prolific NFL career with 125.5 career sacks, good for 18th all time. He finished his career with the Seahawks in 2017, appearing in four games and totaling three sacks and a pass defended. He starred at Syracuse and remains the NCAA leader in sacks per game, at 1.61.

Gallery concluded his eight-year NFL career by starting 12 games at left guard for the Seahawks in 2011. While at Iowa, Gallery was a first team All-American and winner of the Outland Trophy in 2003, awarded to the nation’s best interior offensive lineman.

Despite winning the Biletnikoff Award in 2005 as a member of the Oregon State Beavers, Hass only appeared in two games in his NFL career. One of them was with the Seahawks in 2009.

Hutchinson is already a Pro Football Hall of Famer, having gained induction in 2020. He starred at left guard for the Seahawks from 2001-2005, making three Pro Bowls in that time. He was an excellent guard in college at Michigan as well, earning All-American honors in 2000.

Perhaps the only time a first round kicker has paid off, the Raiders selected Janikowski in 2000 and he went on to kick for them for nearly two decades, finishing his career with the Seahawks in 2018. He was a two-time All-American and the only ever two-time winner of the Lou Groza Award, given to the nation’s best kicker, while at Florida State.

Finally, Spiller appeared in two games for the Seahawks in 2016, carrying the ball three times and hauling in five receptions for a touchdown. Spiller was a star running back and kick returner at Clemson, and his 7,588 all-purpose yards is fourth in NCAA history.

In order to be eligible, a player must have been a first team All-American and have been done playing college football for 10 full seasons.

The ballot has been sent to the National Football Foundation (NFF) board, who will deliberate and eventually announce the new inductees in early 2021.

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Offensive linemen and the curse of the No. 2 pick

Take a look at some offensive linemen who were selected second overall in the NFL draft but failed to live up to expectations.

The 2020 NFL draft will take place next week in a fully virtual format, meaning Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht will be conducting business from his home office (no word yet on if sweatpants will be part of his draft day attire).

The Bucs are already the big winners this offseason after signing quarterback Tom Brady, as well as retaining several key defensive players like Ndamukong Suh, Jason Pierre-Paul and Shaq Barrett.

But the draft will provide them the opportunity to further improve their team, and fixing their offensive line is one of the biggest priorities now that Brady is under center. While the draft has several seemingly can’t-miss offensive linemen available, recent history has shown us that there is no such thing as a sure thing in the draft, especially for offensive tackles.

In fact, since 2004, offensive tackles who have been selected with the second overall pick have seemingly all failed to meet expectations. With that, let’s take a look at those tackles and the strange curse of being the No. 2 overall pick.

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