However, that was not to be and he joined amateur side Queen's Park as a young man and played for them throughout World War II.
That coincided with one of the greatest eras in the club's history and formed the backbone of the legendary Dundee team that included names such as Bill Brown, Doug Cowie, Alfie Boyd, Bobby Flavell and Billy Steel.
[2] Gallacher was unfortunate that at the time there were an abundance of great Scottish right-halves - the likes of Bobby Evans of Celtic, Ian McColl of Rangers, Tommy Docherty of Preston North End and Jimmy Scoular of Newcastle United.
Gallacher's impact on Dundee and Tayside was not just as a footballer because after his retirement in 1956, he became one of the most respected journalists in the country working for the Courier.
Former Dundee United, Coventry, Blackburn and Newcastle forward and Scottish international, Kevin Gallacher, is Tommy's nephew.
[5][6] The Gallachers are also related to another footballing branch of the family, John Divers and his son of the same name who both played for Celtic.