A former Giants defensive tackle and first-round draft pick who left the team in the 1970s to become an orthopedic surgeon has died at age 73.
Dave Gallagher died at his Columbus, Ind. home on January 20, according to his online obituary published on August 4. A cause of death was not announced.
Gallagher played two seasons with the Giants from 1975 to 1976, but was unhappy about being benched and returned to his alma mater, the University of Michigan, to pursue his doctorate in medicine during his offseasons.
“To bench me, and in effect end my career, and then tell me not to take it personally, that’s stupid,” Gallagher told the New York Times in 1977.
The turn from football to the rigors of the medical field wasn’t completely out of nowhere — Gallagher wanted to be a doctor just like his father since he was young.
“It wasn’t so much that I knew what a doctor did, how he cared for people when they were sick, it was just that I admired my father so much and saw the respect he got from the community,” he said.
Before joining the Giants, Gallagher had been a standout for the Wolverines in the early 1970s.
During his time at Michigan, the Wolverines went 40-3-1, winning Big Ten titles from 1971-73.
“I narrowed down my college choices to Duke, Northwestern and Michigan because they all had excellent medical schools,” Gallagher told NFL Player Engagement.
“Why did I choose Michigan? For one thing, it was hard in those days for anyone to say ‘No’ to Coach [Bo] Schembechler.”
In his last season, he had 83 tackles and was a 1973 consensus first-team All-American. He was also a three-time Academic All-Big Ten member. He was inducted into Michigan’s Hall of Honor in 2018.
The Bears selected Gallagher in the first round of the 1974 NFL Draft, one pick in front of legendary wide receiver Lynn Swann, who went to the Steelers.
Gallagher was traded to the Giants after starting in 11 games for Chicago in his rookie season.
“I’m not a naturally gifted athlete,” Gallagher told the Times. “And I’ve always worked hard for what I accomplished. But at each stage of my career, I knew I had to get better. When I was going to high school from junior high, to college from high school, I knew I had to improve. That worked in high school and college.
“But in the pros, they expected No. 1 draft choices to be great right off the bat. I was never that way. I don’t think I received the coaching for me to improve.”
In his first game with the Giants, Gallagher sacked Eagles quarterback Mike Boryla twice in a New York victory. But after his first season with the Giants, Gallagher was moved from left end to left tackle, where he was undersized.
He was benched halfway through the season, a slog that saw the Giants begin 0-9 and finish 3-11.
“Making a 43-man roster isn’t enough, especially on a team that’s 3‐11,” Gallagher said. “I’ve always been a very ambitious person. Being the best is important. I think if the Giants had had a good year and if I had had a great. season I’d be coming back.”
And in a way, it seemed like Gallagher was already angling for a new direction in life. He had it in his rookie contract that his team would pay for two semesters of medical school.
Though he called pro football “an interlude” he would return to play for the Lions from 1978-79. He retired from professional football in 1979, when he was 27 years old.
He later moved his family to Indiana, where he was an orthopedic surgeon with the Southern Indiana Orthopedics group.
Gallagher also coached youth football when his sons began playing in the fourth grade.
“I realize that when you coach for the first time you tend to over-coach,” Gallagher said. “I found myself doodling plays on napkins having more X’s and O’s than I had 4th grade players most of the time,” but added, “Football is a great way to mentor kids.”
Gallagher’s loved ones will hold a service to “honor his life” on August 19.
He is survived by his former wife Carole, two children, five grandchildren and brother.
