Dave Gettleman

David Alan Gettleman, born on February 21, 1951, in Boston, Massachusetts, began his journey in football as a player at Boston Latin School and Springfield College. He earned a degree in education from Springfield College and later pursued master’s degrees in physical education from Southern Connecticut State in 1978 and sports administration from St. Thomas University in 1986. His early career included coaching at Spackenkill High School, where he led teams to two league titles, and also a season as a volunteer assistant at Cal State Long Beach. He joined Kingston High School as a teacher and head coach in 1982, leading his team to a Section I Bowl berth in 1984.

Gettleman transitioned into the NFL front office in 1986, starting as a scouting intern for the Buffalo Bills. He spent seven years in their scouting department before moving to the Denver Broncos in 1994, scouting players from the East and Southeast for four years. In 1998, he joined the New York Giants as a scout and was promoted to pro personnel director the following year. During this initial tenure with the Giants, which lasted until 2012, he was instrumental in acquiring key players like Mike Barrow, Plaxico Burress, Antonio Pierce, and Lawrence Tynes, contributing to two Super Bowl championship teams in 2007 and 2011.

From 2013 to 2017, Gettleman served as the general manager for the Carolina Panthers. Under his leadership, the Panthers achieved a regular-season record of 51–28–1, won three division titles, and reached Super Bowl 50 in 2016. He returned to the New York Giants as general manager in December 2017, a role he held until his retirement in 2022. During his second stint with the Giants, he oversaw significant draft picks including Saquon Barkley (2018) and Daniel Jones (2019). Gettleman’s career highlights include being part of seven Super Bowl teams, with three resulting in championships.