David Dillon Gallagher (born January 2, 1952) is a former All-American defensive tackle who played for the University of Michigan Wolverines from 1971–1973 and in the National Football League from 1974-1979.

Dave Gallagher

Gallagher (No. 71) and Carl Russ loom over an opposing QB, 1973
No. 76, 71
Position:	Defensive tackle
Personal information
Born:	(1952-01-02) January 2, 1952 (age 70) Piqua, Ohio
Height:	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:	256 lb (116 kg)
Career information
High school:	Piqua (OH)
College:	Michigan
NFL Draft:	1974 / Round: 1 / Pick: 20
Career history
Chicago Bears (1974) New York Giants (1975–1976) Detroit Lions (1978–1979)
Career NFL statistics
Games played: 51 Interceptions: 1 Interception yards: 7

College career

The University of Michigan's Bentley Historical Library describes Gallagher's contributions as: "One of the finest defensive tackles ever to play at Michigan."[1] In 1971, he was named to the sophomore All-American team. As a senior in 1973, he was a co-captain of the Michigan football team. He made 83 tackles in 1973 and 175 in his three years playing for Bo Schembechler's Wolverines. He was a consensus first-team All-American as a senior, was also selected twice to the All-Big Ten Academic squad, and was also a recipient of a National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame postgraduate scholarship.

Professional career

Gallagher was drafted in the first round of the 1974 NFL Draft. He had planned to attend medical school, but decided to forego that to play professional football.[2]

He played five years in the NFL for the Chicago Bears (1974), the New York Giants (1975–1976). He retired from professional football in 1976 and entered medical school. However, in 1978, he returned to professional football.[3] He played for the Detroit Lions in 1978 and 1979.[4]

Honors

In 2005, Gallagher was selected as one of the 100 greatest Michigan football players of all time by the "Motown Sports Revival," ranking 65th on the all-time team.[5]

Notes

See also

Michigan Wolverines Football All-Americans

External links

• Bentley Library Profile of Dave Gallagher
• Pro-Football-Reference.com
• Databasefootball.com