Hugh Gallarneau
Encyclopedia
Hugh H. "Duke" Gallarneau (April 2, 1917 – July 14, 1999) was an NFL halfback
from 1941–1942 and 1945–1947 for the Chicago Bears
. He played college football at Stanford
, where he was an All-American.
in Chicago, Illinois, but did not play high school football, opting instead for swimming, track, and baseball. After high school, he was accepted to Stanford University
on an academic scholarship, and decided to try out for the football team for the 1938 season and made the team.
In 1938, Stanford's team was 3-6, and the next year, fell to 1-7-1. The next year, 1940, new head football coach Clark Shaughnessy
introduced the T formation
, and the Indians were transformed in a winner. Gallarneau, along with quarterback
Frankie Albert
, halfback Pete Kmetovic
, and fullback
Norm Standlee
, were the core of a team known as the Wow Boys, which went undefeated and beat Nebraska
21-13 in the 1941 Rose Bowl
. In that game, Gallarneau scored two of Stanford's touchdowns, on a 10-yard run and a 40-yard pass reception. Gallarneau was named an All-American in football, was on Stanford's rugby team, and won the Pacific Coast Conference
heavyweight
boxing
title.
, Gallarneau was selected in the third round by the Chicago Bears
. He played for the Bears for the 1941 and 1942 seasons. Gallarneau still holds the Bears' record for the longest punt return in a postseason game, returning a punt 81 yards for a touchdown against the Green Bay Packers
in the divisional playoffs to help lead the Bears to the 1941 NFL Championship game
. The return also remains the third-longest in NFL postseason history.
In 1943, Gallarneau joined the Marine Corps
to fight in World War II
, where he fought in the Pacific Theater
and rose to the rank of Major
. He was a member of an Air Warning Squadron during the Battle of Okinawa
and was responsible for directing
night fighter
s to intercept incoming Japan
ese aircraft He returned to the Bears for the 1945 season, and played three more seasons before retiring in 1947.
and Hart, Schaffner & Marx, where he retired as a vice president in 1985. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame
in 1982 and is a member of the Stanford Athletic Hall of Fame and the Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame
. He died in Northfield, Illinois
in 1999.
Halfback (American football)
A halfback, sometimes referred to as a tailback, is an offensive position in American football, which lines up in the backfield and generally is responsible for carrying the ball on run plays. Historically, from the 1870s through the 1950s, the halfback position was both an offensive and defensive...
from 1941–1942 and 1945–1947 for the Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. He played college football at Stanford
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
, where he was an All-American.
College career
Gallarneau attended Morgan Park High SchoolMorgan Park High School
Morgan Park High School , located in Chicago, Illinois, at the intersection of 111th street and Vincennes Avenue is a public high school that opened its doors on its present site in 1916, as part of the Chicago Public Schools...
in Chicago, Illinois, but did not play high school football, opting instead for swimming, track, and baseball. After high school, he was accepted to Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
on an academic scholarship, and decided to try out for the football team for the 1938 season and made the team.
In 1938, Stanford's team was 3-6, and the next year, fell to 1-7-1. The next year, 1940, new head football coach Clark Shaughnessy
Clark Shaughnessy
Clark Daniel Shaughnessy was an American football coach and innovator. He is sometimes called the "father of the T formation", although that system had previously been used as early as the 1880s. Shaughnessy did, however, modernize the obsolescent T formation to make it once again relevant in the...
introduced the T formation
T formation
In American football, a T formation is a formation used by the offensive team in which three running backs line up in a row about five yards behind the quarterback, forming the shape of a "T"....
, and the Indians were transformed in a winner. Gallarneau, along with quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
Frankie Albert
Frankie Albert
Frank Cullen "Frankie" Albert was an American football player. He played as a quarterback with the San Francisco 49ers in the National Football League...
, halfback Pete Kmetovic
Pete Kmetovic
Peter George Kmetovic was an American football player.A halfback, Kmetovic played college football for Stanford University, helping the team reach the 1941 Rose Bowl. In the game, Kmetovic rushed for 141 yards and returned a punt for a touchdown to lead the Indians to a 21-13 victory over Nebraska...
, and fullback
Fullback (American football)
A fullback is a position in the offensive backfield in American and Canadian football, and is one of the two running back positions along with the halfback...
Norm Standlee
Norm Standlee
Norman S. "Norm" Standlee was an American football running back for the San Francisco 49ers of the NFL. He was drafted out of Stanford University by the Chicago Bears in 1941...
, were the core of a team known as the Wow Boys, which went undefeated and beat Nebraska
Nebraska Cornhuskers football
The Nebraska Cornhuskers represent the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in college football. The program has established itself as a traditional powerhouse, and has the fourth-most all-time victories of any NCAA Division I-A team. Nebraska is one of only six football programs in NCAA Division I-A...
21-13 in the 1941 Rose Bowl
1941 Rose Bowl
The 1941 Rose Bowl, played on January 1, 1941, was an American football bowl game. It was the 27th Rose Bowl Game with the #7 ranked Cornhuskers taking on the #2 ranked Stanford Indians. At the end of the 2009 college football season, this game stands as the only meeting between these two...
. In that game, Gallarneau scored two of Stanford's touchdowns, on a 10-yard run and a 40-yard pass reception. Gallarneau was named an All-American in football, was on Stanford's rugby team, and won the Pacific Coast Conference
Pacific Coast Conference
The Pacific Coast Conference was a college athletic conference in the United States which existed from 1915 to 1959. Though the Pacific-12 Conference claims the PCC's history as part of its own, the older league had a completely different charter and was disbanded in 1959 due to a major crisis...
heavyweight
Heavyweight
Heavyweight is a division, or weight class, in boxing. Fighters who weigh over 200 pounds are considered heavyweights by the major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the World Boxing Association, the World Boxing Council, and the World Boxing...
boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
title.
NFL career
In the 1941 NFL Draft1941 NFL Draft
The 1941 National Football League Draft was held on December 10, 1940.Despite having three picks in the first round, only Norm Standlee ever played for the Chicago Bears.-Player selections:-Round one:-Round two:-Round three:-Round four:...
, Gallarneau was selected in the third round by the Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. He played for the Bears for the 1941 and 1942 seasons. Gallarneau still holds the Bears' record for the longest punt return in a postseason game, returning a punt 81 yards for a touchdown against the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
in the divisional playoffs to help lead the Bears to the 1941 NFL Championship game
NFL Championship Game, 1941
The 1941 National Football League Championship game was the 9th annual championship game and was held December 21, 1941 at Wrigley Field in Chicago. The game was played two weeks after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The attendance was 13,341, the smallest ever to see an NFL title game...
. The return also remains the third-longest in NFL postseason history.
In 1943, Gallarneau joined the Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
to fight in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, where he fought in the Pacific Theater
Pacific Ocean theater of World War II
The Pacific Ocean theatre was one of four major naval theatres of war of World War II, which pitted the forces of Japan against those of the United States, the British Commonwealth, the Netherlands and France....
and rose to the rank of Major
Major (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, major is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel...
. He was a member of an Air Warning Squadron during the Battle of Okinawa
Battle of Okinawa
The Battle of Okinawa, codenamed Operation Iceberg, was fought on the Ryukyu Islands of Okinawa and was the largest amphibious assault in the Pacific War of World War II. The 82-day-long battle lasted from early April until mid-June 1945...
and was responsible for directing
Ground-controlled interception
Ground-controlled interception an air defense tactic whereby one or more radar stations are linked to a command communications centre which guides interceptor aircraft to an airborne target. This tactic was pioneered during World War II by the Royal Air Force with the Luftwaffe to follow closely...
night fighter
Night fighter
A night fighter is a fighter aircraft adapted for use at night or in other times of bad visibility...
s to intercept incoming Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese aircraft He returned to the Bears for the 1945 season, and played three more seasons before retiring in 1947.
After football
After leaving football, Gallarneau remained in Chicago, working for Marshall Field'sMarshall Field's
Marshall Field & Company was a department store in Chicago, Illinois that grew to become a major chain before being acquired by Macy's Inc...
and Hart, Schaffner & Marx, where he retired as a vice president in 1985. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...
in 1982 and is a member of the Stanford Athletic Hall of Fame and the Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame
Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame
The Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame, located in the Hawthorne Race Course, in Stickney/Cicero, near Chicago, Illinois, honors sports greats associated with the greater Chicago area. It was founded in 1979 as a trailer owned by the Olympia Brewing Company parked at Soldier Field in Chicago. The...
. He died in Northfield, Illinois
Northfield, Illinois
Northfield is an affluent village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is located approximately north of Chicago. As of the 2000 census, the village population was 5,389...
in 1999.