If there’s one wide receiver who can give the Kansas City Chiefs’ Tyreek Hill a run for his money on the track, it would have been Joey Galloway.
Galloway was known as one of the fastest wideouts during his 16-year NFL career.
Whether he ran on a fade, post, or seam route, it didn’t matter: defensive backs found Galloway to be a handful.
When you combine Galloway’s blazing speed with his intelligence (he graduated with a 3.2 GPA from the Ohio State University), you get one of the most unheralded wide receivers in recent NFL history.
Early Life
Joseph Scott Galloway was born to parents James and Carolyn in Bellaire, OH on November 20, 1971.
He is the youngest in a brood of four. His brothers are Keith, James, Jr., and Curtis.
James Galloway was a technician at a telephone company.
His wife Carolyn worked as a cashier at the town’s grocery store.
The family patriarch wasn’t just adept at fixing telephone lines.
When the Galloway residence burned down, James Galloway rebuilt it from scratch, per The Seattle Times’ Hugo Kugiya.
Joey Galloway wasn’t a typical child who grew up in the Midwest.
He wasn’t into cartoons at all.
Galloway loved two things: drawing and watching sports on television.
“I would ask him, ‘Don’t you want to watch cartoons?'”Carolyn Galloway told The Seattle Times a few days after the Seattle Seahawks drafted her son in 1995. “But all he wanted was to watch sports.”
The younger Galloway told his mother he would go to college and major in football.
She dissuaded him, telling him there’s no such thing as a football major.
He never wavered in his desire to excel on the football field.
“He was different,” she told Kugiya. “He seemed to be more mature at a younger age. He had priorities.”
Joey Galloway’s fierce determination was evident in the classroom.
In fact, his father James told The Seattle Times he was the only child he knew who wanted to go to school.
Even if Galloway was bedridden, he’d still insist on going.
One time his bus driver noticed Galloway was very ill and even took him back home.
He was passionate about school because he associated it with football.
In Kugiya’s words, “His love for one made the other absolutely necessary.”
Joey Galloway attended Bellaire High School.
Even back then, Galloway stood out from other high school students.
His high school football coach, John Magistro, told The Spokesman-Review’s Dave Boling in 1995 he’d give him a call and asked him to pick him up at house parties whenever drugs and alcohol got out of hand.
“He didn’t want to be around that stuff,” Magistrol told Boling.
Galloway, an avid video gamer, would have rather spent hours playing Sega than hanging out with the wrong crowd.
Bellaire Big Reds loyalty! Former Big Reds & Buckeye great @Joey_Galloway giving our high school alma mater football team the pre-game talk! #Buckeye_alma_too #Ohio #BigReds #Buckeyes #Loyalty #remembering_where_it_started ❤🌰🏈 pic.twitter.com/sf8ATVIMip
— Renee (@ReneeOSU1) August 25, 2018
Galloway’s discipline paid massive dividends in his high school athletic career.
He excelled in football, basketball, and track and field for the Bellaire Big Reds.
Galloway played point guard in basketball.
With Galloway directing the flow of the offense, the Big Reds won three Ohio Valley Athletic Conference (OVAC) titles.
Galloway won the state 100- and 200-yard events in track during his senior year at Bellaire High School.
However, it was on the gridiron where Joey Galloway would make a name for himself when he entered the National Football League some five years later.
Galloway, nicknamed “The Bellaire Bullet” for his speed, served notice he was one of the best high school wideouts in the Buckeye State.
As a junior, Galloway led Bellaire High to a stellar 9-1 win-loss record and an OVAC title.
He had 32 receptions for 608 yards and eight touchdowns as a senior.
He averaged 19 yards per catch that season.
Galloway also saw time on special teams as a senior: he averaged 15.2 yards on punt returns and 26.9 yards on kickoff returns, per BuckeyeRosters.com.
He caught 108 passes, 2,232 yards, and 27 touchdowns at the conclusion of his high school football career with the Big Reds.
Consequently, Galloway earned Second Team All-Ohio (Division III) honors.
Galloway was also a three-time All-Conference and All-Valley selection as a member of the Big Reds football team.
Joey Galloway would remain in-state and make an impact with John Cooper’s Ohio State Buckeyes during his college football career.
College Days With The Ohio State Buckeyes
Joey Galloway majored in marketing at the Ohio State University.
Not only was Galloway fast (he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.3 seconds), but he was also strong for a wide receiver (he bench pressed 400 pounds).
Because Buckeyes wide receivers Bernard Edwards and Brian Stablein didn’t scare opposing secondaries, Galloway saw significant playing time as a true freshman during the 1991 NCAA season.
Galloway had 255 yards and one touchdown on fourteen receptions that year.
Ohio State went 5-3 in Big Ten Conference play and finished with an overall 8-4 win-loss record in 1991.
Unfortunately, the 25th-ranked Buckeyes lost to the 16th-ranked Syracuse Orange in the Hall of Fame Bowl on New Year’s Day, 24-17.
Galloway was poised for a breakout sophomore season in Columbus in 1992.
Galloway scored on a scintillating 50-yard rushing touchdown in the season-opening 20-19 victory over the Louisville Cardinals.
However, he sustained a season-ending knee injury the following week.
Ohio State wound up with an 8-3-1 record (including a 5-2-1 record in Big Ten Conference play) at the conclusion of Galloway’s injury-ravaged sophomore campaign.
The eighth-ranked Georgia Bulldogs topped the 15th-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes in the 1992 Citrus Bowl, 21-14.
A rejuvenated Galloway finally broke through during his junior year in 1993.
Galloway had 186 yards and three touchdowns in the Buckeyes’ 28-21 triumph over the Michigan State Spartans on October 16, 1993.
On This Date In Ohio State History – Sept. 18, 1993 – Butler By’not’e returned the opening kickoff 89 yards and Joey Galloway scored three touchdowns (two receiving and one rushing) as Ohio State routed Pitt, 63-28.
📷: George Gojkovich/Getty Images pic.twitter.com/Vj3JqCCXnY
— Andrew Lind (@AndrewMLind) September 18, 2020
Ohio State was on pace for a perfect regular season. Unfortunately, the Buckeyes’ game against the Wisconsin Badgers on November 6, 1993 ended in a 14-14 tie.
Two weeks later, the Buckeyes’ hated rivals, the Michigan Wolverines, pounded them into submission, 28-0.
Despite these stumbling blocks, 11th-ranked Ohio State beat the BYU Cougars in the 1993 Holiday Bowl, 28-21.
Galloway had his best statistical season in Columbus, finishing with 946 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns on forty-seven receptions in twelve games.
He eventually earned First-Team All-Big Ten Honors at the end of his junior season in Columbus.
Unfortunately, he stirred a bit of controversy some time later.
He reportedly accepted $200 from a financial advisor at the end of his junior campaign.
At the time, he was leaning toward leaving school early and declaring for the 1994 NFL Draft.
However, he had a change of heart and decided to stay for his senior season in Columbus.
Although Galloway returned the money to the advisor, the NCAA suspended him two games during the 1994 NCAA season for the violation, per Boling.
Galloway told The Seattle Times he decided to stay because he wanted to complete his marketing degree:
“I didn’t stay because of the money or to catch a hundred passes.”
“I wanted to get my degree. I had another year to hang out with my friends. Why let that get away?”
Galloway took the field opposite Chris Sanders at wide receiver for the Buckeyes in the 1994 NCAA season.
Eddie George, the 1995 Heisman Trophy winner and future member of the Tennessee Titans Ring of Honor, started at running back for Ohio State.
Wishing a happy birthday to one of the greatest wide receivers to never be selected for a Pro Bowl. Joey Galloway is a legendary Ohio State Buckeye, a 1st round draft pick and one hell of a WR for Seattle, Tampa and Dallas. 11,000 yards and 77 TD makes him an All-Pro in our book. pic.twitter.com/yGWorPlR3v
— Repacked Wax (@RepackedWax) November 20, 2020
Galloway’s performance on the gridiron slid somewhat.
He finished his senior campaign with 669 receiving yards and seven touchdowns on a team-high forty-four receptions in eleven games.
During Galloway’s time at Ohio State, the Buckeyes couldn’t beat Michigan.
That all changed during his senior year.
The Buckeyes finally beat the Wolverines 22-6 on November 19, 1994.
Galloway also shored up his running game and special teams play.
He ran for 52 yards and a touchdown on twelve carries as a senior.
Galloway also averaged 10.6 yards on punt returns and 25.7 yards on kickoff returns. He even had one kickoff return for a touchdown in his farewell season at Ohio State.
The Buckeyes ranked 14th in the final 1994 Associated Press poll.
They went 9-4 with a 6-2 record in Big Ten Conference play.
Galloway and Co. lost to the sixth-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide in the 1995 Citrus Bowl, 24-17.
It was Joey Galloway’s final game on the college gridiron.
He concluded his college football career by earning Second-Team All-Big Ten honors in 1994.
Galloway finished 12th all-time in receptions (108), ninth in receiving yards (1,894), and fifth in touchdown catches (19) in Ohio State Buckeyes football history, per ElevenWarriors.com.
Galloway didn’t just put up impressive numbers on the gridiron.
He also excelled in the classroom: he graduated with a 3.2 GPA, per The Seattle Times.
Clearly, Galloway was a wide receiver opposing cornerbacks had a hard time outsmarting.
Joey Galloway would spend the next sixteen years of his National League Football career wreaking havoc on various secondaries.
Pro Football Career
The Seattle Seahawks were a below-average team when Joey Galloway entered the professional ranks in 1995.
Seattle finished with consecutive 6-10 win-loss records in 1993 and 1994.
They also hadn’t tasted postseason football in seven years.
Seattle’s 2,568 passing yards ranked them 26th in the NFL in 1994.
The Seahawks desperately needed someone to fire up their moribund offense.
Enter Joey Galloway.
Unlike many NFL rookies who splurge after they receive their first paycheck, Joey Galloway was a different person.
Even though he signed a five-year, $7.9 million contract with the Seahawks in 1995, he told The Seattle Times he’s not the type of person who goes on wild spending sprees:
“Sometimes, after practice, I’d be sitting in my room and think about calling friends at home, but I stop myself from doing it because I don’t want to put a lot of charges on the calling card.”
“I kind of have to remind myself because I sure feel the way I used to when I was broke.”
John Magistro, Galloway’s high school football coach at Bellaire High School, lauded him for his authenticity.
“There’s never been any phoniness,” he told The Seattle Times during his rookie year with the Seahawks. “He’s one of the most genuine people I know.”
Just three weeks into Galloway’s first training camp, he already impressed Seahawks offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski and quarterback Rick Mirer with his work ethic and intelligence, per Boling.
Galloway promptly broke out of the gates as a rookie wide receiver.
He hauled in 1,039 receiving yards and seven touchdowns on sixty-seven receptions in the 1995 NFL campaign.
His best game as a rookie was a two-touchdown, 114-yard performance in a 47-30 road win against the Jacksonville Jaguars on November 12, 1995.
Excited to see @Seahawks @BrockESPN @Joey_Galloway @BlitzTheSeahawk @shaunalexander all at the office today #12thMan pic.twitter.com/0zcGyfCKT3
— Chad Shepherd (@Chad_Shepherd) January 24, 2014
With Galloway shoring up the Seahawks’ receiving corps, the team improved to 8-8 in 1995.
Seattle would continue its mediocrity trend in Galloway’s next three seasons in the Emerald City.
The Seahawks averaged eight wins during that stretch.
Their postseason drought stretched a disappointing ten seasons.
Nonetheless, Joey Galloway was a durable wideout in his first four seasons in the NFL.
He missed just one game from 1995 to 1998 and scored an impressive thirty-six touchdowns for the Seahawks.
It was the greatest stretch of his pro football career. His NFL stint got off to a rousing start.
Galloway hauled in a combined twenty-two touchdowns in the 1997 and 1998 NFL seasons.
Simply put, he brought back memories of Seahawks fans of Pro Football Hall of Famer Steve Largent, arguably the greatest wide receiver in franchise history.
Despite Galloway’s best efforts, the Seahawks kept missing the postseason bus.
After winning nine games in the 1999 NFL season, Seattle finally crashed the postseason party.
Unfortunately, the Seahawks lost to the Miami Dolphins in the AFC Wild Card Game on January 2, 2000, 20-17.
Galloway had just one reception for 22 yards in the loss.
He suited up in just eight games for the Seahawks in the 1999 NFL season due to a contract holdout that lasted 101 days.
According to an ESPN report, the lengthy holdout cost Galloway $837,117.
The Seahawks traded Joey Galloway to the Dallas Cowboys for two first-round draft picks in 2000 and 2001.
Those draft picks turned out to be running back and 2005 NFL MVP Shaun Alexander and wide receiver Koren Robinson.
Happy Birthday @DallasCowboys WR @Joey_Galloway
2002-2003 #Cowboys Team. #CowboysBirthdays #DallasCowboys #CowboysNation #DC4L pic.twitter.com/7btKHpJPvv
— YANKEES_COWBOYS (@YANKEES_COWBOYS) November 21, 2017
For their part, the Cowboys needed depth at wide receiver because of Michael Irvin’s neck injury.
They considered Galloway the perfect complement to speedy wideout Raghib “The Rocket” Ismail.
Galloway agreed to a revised seven-year, $42 million deal with the Cowboys, per ESPN.
“The way I look at this is that it is really a win-win situation for the Seahawks and Dallas,” Seattle head coach Mike Holmgren told The Associated Press’ Jim Cour (via the Kitsap Sun) on February 13, 2000.
Alas, it seemingly became a lopsided deal in Seattle’s favor.
Galloway tore his ACL and played just one game for Dallas in the 2000 NFL season.
He never broke the 1,000-yard mark in his four seasons with the Cowboys.
His best season in Texas was the 2002 NFL campaign when he had 908 yards and six touchdowns on 61 receptions.
Unfortunately, Galloway played for a bad Cowboys team that won just five games and missed the postseason for the third straight year.
To Galloway’s credit, he missed just one game in the three seasons following his ACL tear in 2000.
Dallas ultimately reached contender status in the 2003 NFL season.
The Cowboys won ten games that year.
However, Bill Parcells’ crew lost to the Carolina Panthers in the NFC Wild Card Game on January 3 2004, 29-10.
Galloway had 59 yards on four receptions in the loss.
It turned out to be his final game with the Dallas Cowboys.
Jerry Jones and Co. traded Galloway to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for fellow wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson on March 20, 2004.
Tampa Bay signed the thirty-three-year-old Galloway to a one-year, $2 million deal, per ESPN’s Len’s Pasquarelli.
After scoring five touchdowns in Tampa Bay’s final five games in 2004, the Bucs re-signed Joey Galloway.
Galloway had been traded twice in his NFL career.
This time around, the side that acquired Galloway got the better end of the deal.
Galloway hauled in 248 receptions, 3,912 receiving yards, and 28 touchdowns in five seasons with the Bucs.
Galloway remained relatively healthy during his five-year tenure with the Bucs. Most of the thirteen games he missed were spread out between the 2004 and 2009 NFL campaigns.
He had his best pro season in 2005 when he had 1,287 yards and 10 touchdowns in sixteen games.
Joey Galloway (former Tampa Bay Buccaneers) WR @Joey_Galloway 1995-2010 pic.twitter.com/ekeRD9Lo1r
— American Football 画像 (@AFpicture_japan) September 11, 2014
Galloway also enjoyed two postseason appearances in Tampa Bay.
In contrast, Johnson produced just 1,820 yards and 12 touchdowns in two seasons in Dallas.
The Cowboys didn’t reach the postseason during that span.
After Galloway suited up in just nine games for the Bucs with a foot injury in 2009, he played out his contract and became a free agent.
He signed with the New England Patriots in March 2009.
Galloway, buried deep in the Pats’ depth chart, played in just three games and failed to score a single touchdown for the second straight year.
New England consequently released him on October 20, 2009.
Two months later, the Pittsburgh Steelers signed him after they placed Limas Sweed on their non-reserve/football illness list.
The Steelers didn’t re-sign Galloway at the end of the 2009 NFL campaign.
Galloway’s final NFL stop was with the then-Washington Redskins, whom he signed with in April 2010.
He played in 10 games in the nation’s capital and had just 173 yards on 12 receptions.
The Redskins eventually released him on November 27, 2010.
Ironically, it occurred exactly a week after Galloway’s thirty-ninth birthday.
He had officially played in his final down in the National Football League.
Joey Galloway finished with 10,950 yards and 77 touchdowns on 701 receptions in 198 career games over sixteen seasons.
Post-Football Life
Joey Galloway and his wife Tyra have two sons, Michael and Jett.
The Galloway family currently reside in Columbus, OH.
Galloway co-owned the defunct Arena Football League’s (AFL) Columbus Destroyers.
He was inducted into the Ohio Valley Athletic Conference Hall of Fame in 2005.
Galloway entered the world of sports broadcasting in the fall of 2012.
Thank you to @JacksonStateU @DeionSanders and @TSUTigersFB @EddieGeorge2727 for sending helmets for the @ESPNCFB collection. pic.twitter.com/M69wAcC4KF
— joey galloway (@Joey_Galloway) November 6, 2021
He became an ESPN college football analyst that year.
Galloway’s college teammate, former Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Kirk Herbstreit, reached out to him about a possible sports broadcasting gig.
Galloway described his career switch to The Times Leader (via ElevenWarriors.com’s Alex Gleitman) in 2013:
“It was probably more Kirk’s plan than mine. My idea was to be prepared if I ever chose that, but he really talked me into it.”
“He put me in touch with the right people and (ESPN) called me and I thought I’d give it a shot.”
Joey Galloway is a passionate NASCAR and hockey fan.
Galloway told The Times Leader he’s “a Ford guy” that’s why he pulls for Matt Kenseth and Brad Keselowski in NASCAR.
In terms of his NHL hockey fandom, Galloway likes the Columbus Blue Jackets and Pittsburgh Penguins.
Galloway resides and went to college at Ohio State in Columbus, OH – the home base of the Blue Jackets.
On the other hand, his hometown of Bellaire, OH is just an hour’s drive away from Pittsburgh, PA.
Galloway’s proximity to both teams is the reason why he roots for them.
He launched his Joey Galloway Next Level Football Camp at Wheeling Jesuit University in Wheeling, WV in July 2014.
Galloway was enshrined in the Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame on September 18, 2015.
He was inducted into the hall together with legendary Buckeyes head football coach Jim Tressel.
Stuck it pic.twitter.com/pRa8FI5kxb
— joey galloway (@Joey_Galloway) May 14, 2021
Joey Galloway is an avid golfer.
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