Galts as close as can be, on and off football field

susan whitney wilkerson/the gazette Degee Galt (left) hangs out in the Maryland football team's locker room. He and twin brother Tommy will work for more playing time in ‘08. Featured Jobs Loading...

Between "fighting through adversity" and "putting team above self" is another typical sports theme: "We will embrace the concept of family through team bonding and working toward common goals."

Rarely does it apply as literally as with the Galt family.

With identical twins and 2005 Good Counsel graduates Tommy (a tight end) and Dwight Jr. (nicknamed "Deege," a defensive lineman), and their father Dwight Sr. (Director of Strength and Conditioning), the Galts are a football family in the truest sense of the words.

They're around each other year-round. The redshirt juniors room together and work out under the watchful eye of a coach who knows them better than anyone.

"It's kind of tough on my wife," jokes Dwight Galt, "because I come to work and see them all day and she doesn't get to. They're just such great kids and they work so hard. It's really been a lot of fun and it's really enjoyable as a dad."

Though they look the same, the Galt brothers do have distinguishing characteristics on the field. At 6-foot-5, 260 pounds, Tommy, the elder brother by 16 minutes, is slightly taller and leaner than Deege, and was moved to the offensive side of the ball despite catching only three passes in his senior year with the Falcons.

After redshirting his freshman season, he earned his first collegiate action against Wake Forest in the Terps' 2006 regular-season finale. Last fall, he played in all 13 games on special teams and at tight end.

His name is about to be called more than ever. He is currently the team's number-two tight end, behind senior Dan Gronkowski. With his high school teammate, sophomore Drew Gloster, academically ineligible, Tommy figures prominently in the team's offensive plans.

His greatest asset could be his blocking on running downs. The team's strongest tight end, his 370-pound power clean is second to only San Francisco 49ers tight end Vernon Davis amongst Terp tight ends all-time.

"Everybody gets bigger, everybody gets stronger, everybody gets faster," said Tommy Galt. "It's a situation where if you're not getting better, you're standing still, you're getting worse. Last year I lettered but I didn't play a lot. I'm getting a lot of work now, just having a different role, having a chance to be on the field more."

Moving up the depth chart hasn't been as easy for Deege, who hadn't been healthy at Maryland until '07. After redshirting his freshman year and playing on the scout team defense, he missed his redshirt freshman season with a knee injury suffered the previous summer.

He has not yet seen game action as a Terrapin, but is currently listed second amongst four defensive ends on the depth chart.

Recovering from injury required more time in the weight room, with his father — who goes by the same nickname due to his initials — pushing him every step of the way.

"It's a big advantage," said Deege. "Obviously, it's like having a father in the building all the time, literally. There are a lot of guys on the team who come from far away and don't have that. He definitely helps me out, pushes me harder."

For Dwight, football has provided him three families since he began as an intern strength coach in 1984. A close friend of Good Counsel coach Bob Milloy, he's seen a lot of former Falcons join the Maryland roster. He estimates that since the oldest of his four children, daughter Angie, began attending the school, "eight or nine kids have joined us."

He says his sons are still close to their alma mater, pushing for more. The Terps will add another with 2009 recruit Caleb Porzel.

"And of course we'd love to get Jelani [Jenkins]," Dwight says of the top-ranked linebacker in the nation, according to Rivals.com.

You won't find a bigger subscriber to the Maryland football family than Dwight, who is in his 16th year of athletic development training with the Terps football team, and 21st overall.

"I guess we've had quite a tradition," he says. "It's two more good years ahead of my [boys] and they're working hard.

"They've got a great work ethic, they get along real well with the fellows; I'm just really proud."