January 31, 2016

Highlighted Year: Joey Galloway, 1997

Wide Receiver, Seattle Seahawks





Age: 26 (Nov. 20)
3rd season in pro football & with Seahawks
College: Ohio State
Height: 5’11” Weight: 188

Prelude:
Galloway caught 108 passes for 1894 yards (17.5 avg.) and 19 touchdowns in college. He was chosen by the Seahawks in the first round of the 1995 NFL draft (eighth overall), who were looking to add speed at wide receiver, and moved directly into the starting lineup. Galloway caught 67 passes for 1039 yards (15.5 avg.) and seven TDs as a rookie and also returned 36 punts for a 10.0 average with one touchdown. He followed up with 57 receptions for 987 yards (17.3 avg.) and seven more TDs in 1996.

1997 Season Summary
Appeared in 15 of 16 games
[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Pass Receiving
Receptions – 72 [15, tied with Andre Rison & Shannon Sharpe]     
Most receptions, game – 8 (for 75 yds.) at St. Louis 10/19, (for 98 yds.) at Denver 11/2
Yards – 1049 [16]
Most yards, game – 117 (on 7 catches) vs. Oakland 10/26
Average gain – 14.6
TDs – 12 [2, tied with James Jett, Rod Smith & Antonio Freeman, 1st in AFC]
100-yard receiving games – 3

Rushing
Attempts – 9
Yards – 72
Yards per attempt – 8.0
TDs – 0

Scoring
TDs – 12 [5, tied with four others]
Points – 72

Seahawks went 8-8 to finish third in the AFC West while leading the NFL in passing yards (3959).

Aftermath:
Galloway had another strong year in 1998, catching 65 passes for 1047 yards (16.1 avg.) and 10 touchdowns, but a long contract holdout in ’99 cost him half the season, as well as good will with the organization, and he was traded to the Dallas Cowboys in 2000. A knee injury suffered in the first week cost him the remainder of the season and he had a mediocre year in 2001, averaging a then-career-low 13.4 yards on 52 catches. He bounced back in ’02 with 61 receptions for 908 yards (14.9 avg.) and six TDs and led the NFL by averaging 19.8 yards, although on just 34 catches, in 2003. Traded to Tampa Bay for WR Keyshawn Johnson in ’04, Galloway spent the next five seasons with the Buccaneers and, following an injury-plagued year in which he was limited to ten games, he achieved career highs with 83 receptions for 1287 yards in 2005. It was the first of three straight thousand-yard receiving seasons in his mid-thirties. A foot injury hindered his performance in 2008 and he was released, finishing up with brief stints with New England and Washington in 2009 and ’10. Overall, Galloway caught 701 passes for 10,950 yards (15.6 avg.) and 77 touchdowns, with 283 of those catches for 4457 yards and 37 TDs coming with the Seahawks. He also returned 141 punts for a 9.6-yard average and five TDs.

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Highlighted Years features players who were consensus first-team All-League* selections or league* or conference** leaders in the following statistical categories:

Rushing: Yards, TDs (min. 10)
Passing: Yards, Completion Pct., Yards per Attempt, TDs, Rating
Receiving: Catches, Yards, TDs (min. 10)
Scoring: TDs, Points, Field Goals (min. 5)
All-Purpose: Total Yards
Defense: Interceptions, Sacks
Kickoff Returns: Average
Punt Returns: Average
Punting: Average

*Leagues include NFL (1920 to date), AFL (1926), AFL (1936-37), AAFC (1946-49), AFL (1960-69), WFL (1974-75), USFL (1983-85)

**NFC/AFC since 1970