ORLANDO, Fla. (FWAA) – Iowa offensive tackle Robert Gallery became the third Hawkeye to be named the winner of the Outland Trophy on Thursday night.

Gallery, a 6-7, 320-pound senior from Masonville, Iowa, joins Calvin Jones (1955) and Alex Karras (1957) as Iowa winners of the Outland Trophy, which goes to the top interior lineman in college football.

The Outland has been presented by the FWAA since 1946.

Gallery was announced as the winner over Arkansas offensive tackle Shawn Andrews and LSU defensive tackle Chad Lavalais on the ESPN College Football Awards Show.

The annual presentation banquet, which is sponsored by the Omaha Sports Committee and First Data, will be Jan. 8 in Omaha, Neb.

Gallery was the top talent on a Hawkeye offensive line that lost four starters from 2002, but still produced a 1,000-yard rusher in 2003.

Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz calls Gallery the best offensive linemen he has coached. "I haven't seen many offensive linemen with the talents of Robert Gallery," said Gil Brandt, an NFL Draft expert. "He's going to make some NFL team much better next year."

The Outland is the third oldest award in major college football behind the Heisman and Maxwell awards. And it is named after the late John Outland who created the award a year before his death.

An All-American lineman at the University of Pennsylvania at the turn of the century, Dr. Outland created the award to recognize linemen. He believed linemen needed more recognition.

The first Outland Award was presented to the late George Connor of Notre Dame.