Former University of Iowa offensive lineman Robert Gallery will serve as honorary captain when the Hawkeyes host Michigan State on Saturday on Duke Slater Field at Kinnick Stadium. Kickoff is set for 6:37 p.m. (CT) and the game will be televised nationally on NBC.

Gallery started all 12 games at left tackle as a sophomore in 2001, on a Hawkeye team that won seven games and won the Alamo Bowl with a 19-16 victory over Texas Tech.

As a junior in 2002, Gallery started all 13 games at left tackle and was named a first-team All-Big Ten honoree. He protected the blind side for quarterback Brad Banks, who passed for an impressive 2,573 yards and 26 touchdowns as the Davey O’Brien winner and Heisman Trophy runner-up. Gallery also opened holes for running backs Fred Russell and Jermelle Lewis, who combined for 1,937 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns. The team went 11-2, winning the most games in program history and claimed Iowa’s first Big Ten title in 12 years. The Hawkeyes appeared in the Orange Bowl and notched a No. 8 final AP ranking.

During senior season, Gallery again earned first-team Big Ten laurels, adding the Outland Trophy and unanimous first-team All-America honors to his résumé. He led Iowa to another double-digit-win season (10-3) and was named co-captain and co-MVP for the season while also earning Big Ten Conference Offensive Lineman of the Year honors. Iowa concluded the season with a 37-17 victory against Florida in the Outback Bowl and again finished No. 8 in the final AP Poll, the first back-to-back top 10 finishes for Iowa since the 1950s.

A three-time first-team All-Big Ten selection, Gallery also earned Academic All-Big Ten honors for three consecutive seasons. He was inducted into the University of Iowa Athletics Hall of Fame in 2017, and he was added to Iowa’s America Needs Farmers Wall of Honor at Kinnick Stadium in 2015, recognizing student-athletes for their tenacity, work ethic and exemplifying the character of American farmers.

Drafted second overall by Oakland in the 2004 NFL Draft, Gallery played 104 career games with the Raiders (2004-10) and Seahawks (2011), starting all but one contest.

Gallery, whose No. 78 will be added to the Ring of Honor this weekend, will accompany the Iowa captains to midfield for Saturday’s pregame coin toss. He will also be with the Hawkeyes in the locker room before and after the game.