‘They can’t stop him.’ Puget Sound receiver Joe Gallagher leads country in unusual stat
The targets were few and far between for Joe Gallagher when he was a receiver at O’Dea High School in Seattle, where longtime coach Monte Kohler favors a ground-and-pound offense.
He’s seeing a few more touches at the University of Puget Sound. OK, a lot more.
Gallagher, a junior receiver for the Loggers, is currently leading the country in Division III football in receptions (122) and receptions per game (13.6). The next closest is Malin Jasinski from The College of New Jersey (82 receptions, 9.1 per game).
It’s a somewhat obscure stat. It’s not touchdown receptions or yards, which receivers are generally measured by. Still, it’s fun to be leading the country and Gallagher’s family and teammates make sure he’s aware.
“I have a lot of family members that have been keeping me up to date with that,” Gallagher said during practice last week. “But that’s not really my main goal for this season, for sure. But it’s nice to have some recognition like that.”
The pass-heavy offensive scheme at UPS helps, undoubtedly. The Loggers are passing the ball on about 75 percent of their plays in what head coach Jeff Thomas calls the “Air Log,” sort of a custom take on the Air Raid offense.
“We are the very embodiment of spread them vertically and horizontally,” Thomas said.
That means plenty of targets for Gallagher.
“(At O’Dea), I’d be lucky to get three to four targets per game, so just staying locked in and whenever my number was called, I’m gonna be ready to make the play,” he said. “I’ve tried to take that mindset with me here. Obviously, I’ve had my number called a lot more, but just trying to have that mindset of, ‘I’m ready on any given play to have my number called.’”
Thomas said that while the scheme benefits Gallagher, he shouldn’t be mistaken as a system receiver.
“It’s not like a running back leading the country in carries, because you can always guarantee you can hand the ball off,” Thomas said. “Everyone that we play knows that everything goes through Joe and they can’t stop him.”
That’s a result of intense work ethic. Gallagher catches at least 100 passes a day from a JUGS passing machine.
“Route running, he’s extremely good in the mid routes of opening (defensive backs’) hips and breaking off of them,” Thomas said. “He’s a technician at that. At the end of the day, he loves to win and hates to lose.”
A FAMILY FOOTBALL LEGACY, FROM PUYALLUP TO MONTLAKE
He can credit that competitiveness to his dad, Tom Gallagher, who played offensive line for Puyallup High School under Mike Huard, before going on to play for Don James and the University of Washington in the 1990s.
Gallagher backed up Lincoln Kennedy during UW’s 1991 national championship before becoming a starter in 1992 and 1993, earning All-Pac-10 recognition. At 6-foot-5, 300 pounds, Gallagher was on the radar of NFL teams but tore his ACL during an All-Star game on Christmas Day.
The Denver Broncos signed Gallagher, despite the injury, but released him after a year. That was the end of Gallagher’s professional football career.
Gallagher, who manages residential construction sites, makes it to every UPS game.
“I’m just proud of what he’s been able to accomplish,” Tom Gallgher told The News Tribune by phone. “It’s been a joy watching him.”
Joe, of course, grew up a diehard Husky fan, going to games with his dad. He’d listen attentively to all the stories his dad had of playing for Washington at its peak.
“He’s had a lot of great stories just about what it took for them to become such a dominant program and having almost a fear factor,” Gallagher said. “Teams would be afraid to play them.”
UPS is 2-7 this season and will finish its season on the road against rival Pacific Lutheran. PLU plays its games at Puyallup’s Sparks Stadium, where Tom Gallagher suited up for the Vikings all those years ago.
“That’s my dad’s high school stadium, so that’s going to be really fun,” Gallagher said.
Expect Tom Gallagher to be there bright and early, tailgating with family and friends. Win or lose, he’ll continue to be proud of his son.
“It’s fun to watch,” he said. “It kind of brings me back to putting on the pads, cleats. I’m always there early. It brings me back to my past. I feel very fortunate to have a son who loves football like I did. He craves it. Once he’s done playing, he’ll have something to do in the football world.”
Kickoff between the Loggers and Lutes is set for 1 p.m. at Sparks Stadium on Saturday.
This story was originally published November 14, 2024 at 5:00 AM.
