IRVING, Texas – – Former University of Iowa offensive lineman Robert Gallery has been named to the 2023 class of the College Football Hall of Fame. The announcement was made Monday by the National Football Foundation (NFF) and College Hall of Fame.
Gallery, a native of Masonville, Iowa (East Buchanan High School), lettered as a Hawkeye offensive tackle from 2000-03. He earned unanimous consensus first-team All-America honors as a senior and was the recipient of the Outland Trophy, presented annually to the best offensive lineman in the nation.
Gallery was named the Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year in 2003. He earned first-team All-Big Ten honors in his final three seasons, while also being a three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree.
During Gallery’s final three seasons, the Hawkeyes posted a 28-10 overall record, including a 17-7 mark in Big Ten play. Gallery moved into the line-up for the final six games of his freshman season. In 2001, Iowa’s offense averaged 32.6 points per game while ending the season with an Alamo Bowl win over Texas Tech.
The Hawkeyes shared the Big Ten championship in 2002 with a perfect 8-0 league record, setting a school record with 11 overall wins. Iowa averaged 37.2 points per game as quarterback Brad Banks was the runner-up in Heisman Trophy voting.
In Gallery’s final season, Iowa posted 10 wins, closing the season with a 37-17 win over Florida in the 2004 Outback Bowl. Iowa finished the season ranked eighth nationally for the second consecutive season.
Gallery was a team captain and Most Valuable Player as a senior. He was the second player selected in the 2004 NFL Draft by the Oakland Raiders. He played eight NFL seasons for the Raiders and Seattle Seahawks, starting 103 of the 104 career games in which he played. He was awarded the NFL’s Ed Block Courage Award in 2010.
Gallery is a member of Iowa’s Letterwinner’s Club Hall of Fame and the America Needs Farmers (ANF) Wall of Honor at Kinnick Stadium.
Gallery earned his bachelor’s degree in elementary education from the University of Iowa in 2003. He and his wife, former Iowa women’s basketball player Becca McCann, reside in California with their three children, Hayden, Brooklyn, and Lincoln.
Gallery is the 11th former Hawkeye named to the College Football Hall of Fame, based on his playing career. Former Iowa players Earl Banks (Morgan State) and Bob Stoops (Oklahoma) are Hall of Fame members based on their college coaching careers.
Five former Hawkeye head coaches are also members of the Hall of Fame, including Eddie Anderson (1938-42, 1946-49), Forest Evashevski (1952-60), Hayden Fry (1979-98), Howard Jones (1916-23) and Slip Madigan (1943-44).
