Hall of Fame
Position: Offensive Tackle
Years: 2000-03
Place of Birth: Manchester, IA
Date of Birth: July 26, 1980
Jersey Number: 78
Height: 6-7
Weight: 325
High School: East Buchanan (Winthrop, IA)
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.
