Tony Galbreath

College:Missouri

Position:Running back

Height: 6'0" Weight:228 lbs.

Born:January 24, 1954 in Fulton, Missouri

Joined saints:NFL Draft 1976 / Round: 2 / Pick: 32

Years with Saints:1976-1980

Background: Galbreath was one of the most underrated players in the NFL when he was with the Saints. A big man who had great feet and moves, the second-round pick out of Missouri was a superb one-cut runner and receiver out of the backfield. He was the sixth leading receiver in the NFL in his rookie season of 1976 and he was second in the NFL in receptions with 74 in 1978. He also led the team in rushing in 1978, when he also tied for the team lead in scoring. He ranks eighth all-time in franchise history in rushing and ninth in receptions. Though he was clearly a running back, Galbreath was a willing blocker for Chuck Muncie as part of the "Thunder and Lightning" backfield the duo comprised for five seasons. Galbreath was consistent and he was good. He retired after the 1987 season from the NFL as the most prolific pass-catching running back in league history, at the time, with 490 catches. He finished his illustrious NFL career with 8,759 all-purpose yards. Greatest Moment While Galbreath had many two plays certainly stood out. One was the incredible one-handed catch from Archie Manning on a 17-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter to give the Saints a 14-7 lead over the vaunted Oakland Raiders on Monday Night Football on Dec. 3, 1979 but the Saints blew a 35-14 lead and lost 42-35. As a result, his most significant moment came in his rookie season when Hank Stram led his new team, the Saints, to Kansas City to face his old team, the Chiefs. Galbreath rambled for 146 yards on 14 carries and two touchdowns, including a career-best 74 yard run. He added five catches and returned four kickoffs for a 23.5 yard average as the Saints won 27-17, an emotional first victory for Stram. Honors Galbreath was inducted into the Saints Hall of Fame in 1991. He was later inducted into both the University of Missouri Athletics Hall of Fame in 1995 and into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 2013.