SAN JOSE, Calif. - San José State football legend Chon Gallegos (September 28, 1939-January 17, 2023) has passed away at the age of 83. Gallegos led the NCAA in 1961 with 14 passing touchdowns and won the Pop Warner Award which went to the best college senior on the West Coast. He went on to play one season in the AFL for the Oakland Raiders where he threw for two touchdowns and 298 yards over six games. During his time at SJSU, Gallegos played in 29 games in three seasons and threw for 1,939 yards with 17 touchdowns.
Following his time playing football, Gallegos went into coaching at Santa Teresa and James Lick from 1974-1992. During his coaching career, he mentored future NFL quarterbacks Jim Plunkett, Rich Campbell and Craig Whelihan who all went on to play quarterback in the NFL.