NFF National Scholar-Athletes
A two-year starter at wide receiver for College Football Hall of Fame coach John Cooper at Ohio State, Joey Galloway helped the Buckeyes to a 19-5-1 record, a Big Ten title and a victory in the 1993 Holiday Bowl. A First Team All-Big Ten selection in 1993, he was named co-captain of the 1994 squad. The team leader in receptions in 1993 (47) and 1994 (44), Galloway ranks fourth in school history in single-season touchdown receptions (11) and single-season games of 100+ receiving yards (4); fifth in career touchdown receptions (19); ninth in career receiving yards (1,894) and career receptions per game (3); 10th in single-season receiving yards (946) and career yards per catch (17.5); and 12th in career receptions (108). The team leader in scoring in 1993 (78), he was selected to play in the East-West Shrine Bowl. A three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection, Galloway compiled a 3.0 GPA in marketing and twice made the Dean’s List.
Galloway was selected by the Seattle Seahawks with the eighth overall pick of the 1995 NFL Draft and made an immediate impact for the Seahawks, setting franchise season records for a rookie with 67 receptions, 1,039 receiving yards and three 100-yard games. He also had success as a punt returner, returning 36 punts for 360 yards and a touchdown. During his second year, Galloway started all 16 games for the Seahawks while leading the team in receptions (57), receiving yards (987) and touchdowns (7). He finished his career with the Seahawks with 283 receptions for 4,457 yards and 37 touchdowns in 71 games. Galloway was traded to the Dallas Cowboys and played four seasons with the Cowboys from 2000-03. In 2003, he made 34 catches for 672 yards and two touchdowns and led the NFL with a 19.8 yards-per-catch average.
Galloway was traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and enjoyed some of the best years of his professional career with the Buccaneers from 2004-08. In 2005, he enjoyed his best season as a professional, catching a career high 83 passes (fifth in team history) for 1,287 yards (second in team history) and 10 touchdowns. In 2006, he caught 62 passes for 1,057 yards and seven touchdowns, just the second time in team history that a player had gone over the 1,000 yard receiving mark in back-to-back seasons. In 2007, he played in 15 games, making 57 receptions for 1,014 yards and six touchdowns, becoming the first player in franchise history to register three consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons. He finished his career with the Buccaneers with 248 receptions for 3,912 yards and 28 touchdowns.
Galloway finished his NFL career with one season each with the New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers. In 16 seasons, he caught 701 passes for 10,950 yards and 77 touchdowns. Galloway is just one of 44 NFL players to accumulate 10,000 receiving yards. He was a co-owner of the Arena Football League’s Columbus Destroyers from 2003 until the team disbanded in 2008. In 2012, he joined ESPN as a college football analyst. Beginning in 2015, Galloway, along with 1995 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Danny Kanell, handled pregame, halftime and postgame reporting for ESPN’s college football coverage on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
