Robert J. Gallery (born July 26, 1980) is a former
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...
offensive guard
Offensive may refer to:
* Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative
* Offensive (military), an attack
* Offensive language
** Fighting words or insulting language, words that by their very utterance inflict inj ...
who played for eight seasons in the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
. He played
college football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States.
Unlike most ...
for the
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is org ...
, and received unanimous
All-American recognition. He was selected by the
Oakland Raiders second overall in the
2004 NFL Draft. He also played for the
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...
.
Early years
Gallery was born in
Manchester, Iowa
Manchester is a city in Delaware Township, Delaware County, Iowa, United States. The population was 5,065 at the time of the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Delaware County. Manchester is located at the intersection of U.S. Route 20 and ...
. He attended
East Buchanan High School in
Winthrop, Iowa
Winthrop is a city in Buchanan County, Iowa, United States. The population was 823 at the time of the 2020 census.
History
Winthrop was platted in 1857.
Geography
Winthrop is located at (42.472419, -91.735713).
According to the United States ...
, and starred in
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
, basketball, and track. In football, he played
tight end
The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like ...
and
linebacker
Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, p ...
, and also handled punting and kickoff duties. He was an all-conference honorable mention selection as a sophomore before being named first-team all-conference as a junior and senior. Gallery helped his high school team to a three-year record of 24-8, including a 19-2 record in district play. He was a ''
Des Moines Register
''The Des Moines Register'' is the daily morning newspaper of Des Moines, Iowa.
History Early period
The first newspaper in Des Moines was the ''Iowa Star''. In July 1849, Barlow Granger began the paper in an abandoned log cabin by the junctio ...
'' Class 1A first-team all-state selection as a senior. In addition to his athletic accomplishments, Gallery earned the rank of
Eagle Scout
Eagle Scout is the highest achievement or rank attainable in the Scouts BSA program of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). Since its inception in 1911, only four percent of Scouts have earned this rank after a lengthy review process. The Eagle Sc ...
.
College career
Gallery went to the
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is org ...
, and played for the
Iowa Hawkeyes football team from 1999 to 2003. His older brother, Nick, had been an All-Big Ten punter for the Hawkeyes, and his younger brother, John, later became a punter for the Hawkeyes. After red-shirting in 1999, Gallery had three catches for 52 yards as a starting tight end as a freshman before moving to the tackle position. He started six games at the right tackle position as a freshman.
As a sophomore, Gallery started every game at left tackle and made vast improvements throughout the year. He helped Iowa lead the
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...
in scoring in 2001 as Iowa qualified for their first bowl game in four years. As a junior in 2002, Gallery started all 13 games at left tackle and was a first-team All-Big Ten selection. He helped lead Iowa to their first Big Ten title in 12 years and their first undefeated conference season in eighty years. He also won the team's Hustle Award.
In 2003, Gallery led Iowa to another ten-win season and was voted as Iowa's co-captain and co-MVP for the season. He was a first-team All-Big Ten selection for the second straight year and named the Big Ten Conference Offensive Lineman of the Year. He was recognized as a unanimous first-team
All-American as a senior in
2003. He was awarded the 2003
Outland Trophy
The Outland Trophy is awarded to the best college football interior lineman in the United States as adjudged by the Football Writers Association of America. It is named after John H. Outland. One of only a few players ever to be named an All-Am ...
, making him the third lineman from Iowa to win the award (
Alex Karras and
Cal Jones
Calvin Jack Jones (February 7, 1933 – December 9, 1956) was a college football player for the University of Iowa. Jones is one of only two Iowa football players (along with Nile Kinnick) to have his jersey number retired by the school. Jon ...
being the other two). He was also a three-time academic All-Big Ten selection at Iowa.
Gallery graduated with a bachelor's degree in education from the University of Iowa. As part of his pre-professional training, he taught at two local elementary schools.
Professional career
2004 NFL Draft
Gallery was selected with the second overall pick in the
2004 NFL Draft by the
Oakland Raiders. He was regarded as "the best lineman to come out of college in years", with a perfect 9.0 Draft Prospect Rating, the highest for any offensive lineman.
Oakland Raiders
In 2004, Gallery started 15 games at right tackle and gave up three sacks. In 2005, he started all 16 games at right tackle and gave up 3.5 sacks. The Raiders moved him to left tackle at the beginning of the 2006 preseason. In the Raiders' first game of the 2006 regular season, Gallery was part of an offensive line that gave up nine sacks (at least three of which were charged to him) to the
San Diego Chargers. He played in 13 games during the season and gave up 10.5 sacks, placing him fourth in the league for most sacks given up, despite missing three games. In 2007, Oakland coaches moved Gallery to left guard.
Although Gallery had generally been considered a bust at the left tackle position for which he was drafted and had limited success at the right tackle position, he performed much better as a left guard.
Seattle Seahawks
On July 27, 2011, Gallery agreed to join the Seattle Seahawks on a three-year deal worth a reported $15 million. He was released after one season.
New England Patriots
On March 19, 2012, Gallery signed with the
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...
on a one-year deal Gallery announced his retirement from professional football on August 4, 2012.
References
External links
Iowa Hawkeyes BioOakland Raiders Bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gallery, Robert
1980 births
Living people
All-American college football players
American football offensive tackles
Iowa Hawkeyes football players
New England Patriots players
Oakland Raiders players
People from Buchanan County, Iowa
Players of American football from Iowa
Seattle Seahawks players
People from Manchester, Iowa
Ed Block Courage Award recipients