Dave Gettleman facts for kids
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Gettleman in 2022
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| Born: | February 21, 1951 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Boston Latin |
| College: | Springfield |
| Career history | |
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| Career highlights and awards | |
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David Alan Gettleman (born February 21, 1951) is a former professional football executive. He worked in the National Football League (NFL). He was the general manager for the Carolina Panthers from 2013 to 2017. He also served as general manager for the New York Giants from 2018 to 2021.
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Early Life and School
Dave Gettleman grew up in Mattapan, a neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts. He went to Boston Latin School and played football there. Later, he attended Springfield College. He earned a degree in education and played on the freshman football team. Gettleman also earned two master's degrees. One was in physical education and the other in sports administration.
Football Career Journey
Coaching Days
Gettleman started his career as a teacher and coach. He worked at Spackenkill High School in Poughkeepsie, New York. As the head coach from 1973 to 1978 and again from 1980 to 1981, he led his teams to two league titles. His teams often played against schools that were much larger. He also spent a season as a volunteer assistant coach at Cal State Long Beach in 1979. In 1982, Gettleman joined Kingston High School. He became their head coach in 1984.
Working in the Front Office
Starting Out (1986–1997)
In 1986, Dave Gettleman began working for the Buffalo Bills. He started as a scouting intern. A scout's job is to find talented players for the team. He worked in their scouting department for seven years. After the 1993 season, he joined the Denver Broncos. For four years in Denver, Gettleman scouted players from the East and Southeast regions of the United States.
New York Giants (1998–2012)
In 1998, the New York Giants hired Gettleman as a scout. The next year, he was promoted to director of pro personnel. This role involves managing the team's professional players. In 2012, he became a senior pro personnel analyst.
During his first time with the Giants, Gettleman helped improve the team's offensive line. He also brought in key players like Mike Barrow, who was a top tackler. He signed Plaxico Burress in 2005, who became a star wide receiver. Burress was a big part of the team that won Super Bowl XLII. Gettleman also helped bring in Antonio Pierce, a linebacker who made over 100 tackles each year from 2005 to 2007. Kicker Lawrence Tynes was another important signing. Many of these players also helped the Giants win Super Bowl XLVI. Other important additions included Antrel Rolle, Michael Boley, Chris Canty, Rocky Bernard, and punter Steve Weatherford.
Carolina Panthers (2013–2017)
In January 2013, Gettleman became the general manager of the Carolina Panthers. As general manager, he was in charge of the team's roster and overall football operations. In the 2015 season, the Panthers had an amazing start, winning 14 games in a row. They made it to Super Bowl 50 on February 7, 2016. However, they lost to the Denver Broncos with a score of 24–10. On July 17, 2017, the Panthers decided to let him go from his general manager role. During his time with the Panthers, the team had a regular-season record of 51 wins, 28 losses, and 1 tie. They reached the playoffs three times and won three NFC South division titles.
Back with the Giants (2018–2021)
On December 28, 2017, Gettleman returned to the New York Giants as their new general manager. His second time with the Giants began with hiring a new head coach, Pat Shurmur. He also drafted running back Saquon Barkley as the second overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft. In his first season back, the team finished with 5 wins and 11 losses.
The next year, Gettleman traded wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. to the Cleveland Browns. This decision caused a lot of discussion among fans. Gettleman also drafted Duke quarterback Daniel Jones. With Jones starting, the team finished with 4 wins and 12 losses. After that season, coach Shurmur was replaced by Joe Judge.
The 2020 season showed a small improvement for the team, as they finished with 6 wins and 10 losses. However, they missed the playoffs for the fourth year in a row. In 2021, the Giants started with 1 win and 5 losses. They ended the season with a 4-13 record. This was their fifth straight losing season, and they missed the playoffs again.
Gettleman retired after the 2021 season. His second time with the Giants ended with a record of 19 wins and 46 losses over four seasons. The Giants never had a winning record during his time as general manager. They only reached a .500 record once, in week 4 of the 2019 season.
Gettleman faced some criticism from fans and former Giants players. This was about the team's performance during his time. Some of the criticism was about his draft choices. For example, he traded up for Deandre Baker in the 2019 draft, but Baker was later released. Another example was trading down in the 2021 draft. This meant passing on players like Micah Parsons and Rashawn Slater. Instead, the Giants drafted Kadarius Toney, who was later traded. Gettleman was also criticized for not improving the offensive line. Some of his free agent signings, like Golden Tate and Kenny Golladay, did not perform as expected.
Personal Life
Dave Gettleman is a Messianic Jew. In June 2018, it was announced that he would receive treatment for lymphoma. By July of that year, his condition was described as being "in complete remission," meaning he was healthy again. He is married to Joanne, and they have three children.
