Hugh Gallarneau

Hugh Harold "Duke" Gallarneau (April 2, 1917 – July 14, 1999) was an American professional player who was a halfback in the National Football League (NFL) from 1941 to 1942 and 1945 to 1947 for the Chicago Bears. He played college football at Stanford, where he was an All-American.

College career Gallarneau attended Morgan Park High School 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. 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.

World War II

In 1943, Gallarneau joined the Marine Corps to fight in World War II. He was trained as a night fighter director and fought in the Pacific Theater, rising to the rank of major. Gallarneau was awarded the Bronze Star for his efforts in assisting with the downing of six Japanese aircraft during the Battle of Okinawa. He returned to the Bears for the 1945 season, and played three more seasons before retiring in 1947.

NFL career statistics Legend Won the NFL Championship Led the league Bold Career high

Regular season Year Team Games Rushing Receiving GP GS Att Yds Avg Lng TD Rec Yds Avg Lng TD 1941 CHI 11 8 49 304 6.2 40 8 11 204 18.5 46 2 1942 CHI 10 9 68 292 4.3 20 4 14 291 20.8 60 3 1945 CHI 8 7 75 260 3.5 31 2 7 58 8.3 36 1 1946 CHI 11 5 112 476 4.3 52 6 12 185 15.4 36 1 1947 CHI 12 4 39 89 2.3 8 6 7 56 8.0 28 0 52 33 343 1,421 4.1 52 26 51 794 15.6 60 7

Playoffs Year Team Games Rushing Receiving GP GS Att Yds Avg Lng TD Rec Yds Avg Lng TD 1941 CHI 2 2 10 17 1.7 - 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 1942 CHI 1 1 2 9 4.5 9 0 1 -9 -9.0 -9 0 1946 CHI 1 1 6 24 4.0 - 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 4 4 18 50 2.8 9 0 1 -9 -9.0 -9 0

After football After leaving football, Gallarneau remained in Chicago, working for Marshall Field's 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.