 Garcia with thePhiladelphia Eagles in 2006 | |||||||||
| No. 5, 7, 9 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Quarterback | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | (1970-02-24)February 24, 1970 (age 55) Gilroy, California, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||
| Weight | 205 lb (93 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | Gilroy | ||||||||
| College | Gavilan (1989) San Jose State (1990–1993) | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 1994: undrafted | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
Playing | |||||||||
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* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||
Coaching | |||||||||
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| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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| Career CFL statistics | |||||||||
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Jeffrey Jason Garcia (born February 24, 1970) is an American former professionalfootball player who was aquarterback in theNational Football League (NFL) andCanadian Football League (CFL).[1] After attending high school and junior college inGilroy, California, Garcia playedcollege football for theSan Jose State Spartans.[2]
A four-timeCFL All-Star and four-time NFLPro Bowl selection, Garcia began his professional football career with the CFL'sCalgary Stampeders as anundrafted free agent in 1994. In 1999, Garcia debuted in the NFL with theSan Francisco 49ers. With the 49ers, Garcia made threePro Bowl appearances (for the2000,2001, and2002 seasons) and led the team to the playoffs in the2001 and2002 seasons. Afterwards, Garcia encountered a low point in his career, starting with a lackluster 2003 season with San Francisco then two losing seasons with theCleveland Browns in 2004 and theDetroit Lions in 2005. With thePhiladelphia Eagles, Garcia returned to form late in the 2006 season, starting for an injuredDonovan McNabb and leading Philadelphia to the playoffs. Garcia joined theTampa Bay Buccaneers in 2007 and was the starting quarterback for most games of the 2007 and 2008 seasons. Again, Garcia led Tampa Bay to the playoffs in 2007 and made his fourth careerPro Bowl appearance.
After his stint with Tampa, Garcia returned to the Eagles in 2009 and played only one game. In 2010, Garcia played for theOmaha Nighthawks of theUnited Football League. In 2011, Garcia signed with theHouston Texans but did not play a game with the team. The following year, Garcia joined the advisory board for the now defunct United States Football League.[3]
Garcia attendedGilroy High School inGilroy, California, and was aletterman infootball andbasketball. As a senior at Gilroy High, Garcia was a SouthSanta Clara County selection for the Charlie Wedemeyer All-Star Football Game and playeddefensive back in the game.[4]
After graduating from Gilroy in 1988, Garcia attendedGavilan College, a localjunior college. He was the starting quarterback on the football team for the 1989 season, in which he passed 2,038 yards for 18 touchdowns and rushed 584 yards for four touchdowns. After the season, Garcia earned junior college honorable mention All-America honors.[5]
In 1990, Garcia transferred toSan Jose State University and redshirted his first year there. From 1991 to 1993, Garcia was starting quarterback on theSan Jose State Spartans football team.[6] Under Garcia, San Jose State went 6–4–1 in 1991,[7] 7–4 in 1992,[8] and 2–9 in 1993.[9] In 1991, Garcia had a career-high 61.9% completion rate at San Jose State with 99-for-160 passing for 1,519 yards, 12 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions. He passed for 2,418 yards in 1992 on 209-for-371 passing with 15 touchdowns and 11 interceptions and a career-high 2,608 yards in 1993 on 196-for-356 passing, 21 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions.[10] For his junior season in 1992, Garcia earnedUPI All-America honors. As of 2007, Garcia had the most career offensive yards (7,274) in San Jose State history.[11]
Garcia is one of only eighteen quarterbacks in NFL history who have achieved two consecutive thirty-touchdown passing seasons (2000 and 2001) at least one time in his career. The others arePhilip Rivers,Steve Bartkowski,Drew Brees,Peyton Manning,Brett Favre,Dan Fouts,Dan Marino,Tom Brady,Aaron Rodgers,Y. A. Tittle,Eli Manning,Tony Romo,Russell Wilson,Patrick Mahomes,Kirk Cousins,Josh Allen,Justin Herbert, andJoe Burrow. He is also one of only thirteen quarterbacks to throw a99-yard touchdown pass.
At 6-foot-1 and 195 pounds, Garcia was considered too small for theNational Football League and was not selected in the1994 NFL draft.[6] In 1994, Garcia started his professional career in Calgary with theCalgary Stampeders of theCanadian Football League. He won a place on Calgary's roster as their third-string quarterback behindDoug Flutie andSteve Taylor when he threw two fourth-quarter touchdowns in his exhibition game appearance in 1994; soon after, he was named backup quarterback to Flutie. Garcia took over as starter in 1995 when Flutie was sidelined midway through the season with an elbow injury. In his second start filling in for Flutie, Garcia set a team record with 546 passing yards and six touchdown passes in theLabour Day game against Edmonton touching off an eventual quarterback controversy among some fans when Flutie later returned. Flutie ended up starting over Garcia in the Grey Cup that year which the Stampeders lost. After Flutie signed as a free-agent with theToronto Argonauts in 1996, Garcia took over as the Stampeders' starting quarterback. During Garcia's three years as starter, the Stampeders finished with records of 13–5, 10–8, and 12–6.[12]
In 1997, Garcia won theJeff Nicklin Memorial Trophy, an award given to the Most Outstanding Player in theCFL Western Division. Garcia led the Stampeders to the Western Final in 1996 and to the Western Semi-Final in 1997. In 1998, he led the team to aGrey Cup victory over theHamilton Tiger-Cats and was namedGrey Cup MVP. Garcia's performance included an 80-yard, game-ending drive to set up the game-winning field goal on the last play of the game.[13] Garcia was also named as the1998 CFL All-Star at quarterback.
Garcia was inducted to the Stampeders Wall of Fame on September 14, 2012, along with 5 others (Rudy Linterman,Gerry Shaw,Kelvin Anderson,Sig Gutsche,Norman Kwong).[14]
Following the Grey Cup victory, Garcia was signed as a backup toSteve Young with theSan Francisco 49ers of the National Football League. Over the summer, he had been fighting for a spot on the roster, but early in the1999 season, Young was hit by Arizona Cardinals cornerbackAeneas Williams and suffered his final professional concussion, knocking him out for the year. Garcia stepped in and shared time with former Stanford quarterbackSteve Stenstrom finishing the season.
Garcia won his first NFL start against the Tennessee Titans 24–22. After being benched for poor performances, Garcia was reinstated as the starting quarterback and in the final five games of the regular season, finished by tossing 8 touchdown passes to only 2 interceptions. Garcia finished his rookie season with 11 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.[15]
The followingseason, with Young retired, and despite the 49ers drafting two quarterbacks (Giovanni Carmazzi in the third round andTim Rattay in the seventh), Garcia kept the starting quarterback position and made his firstPro Bowl appearance. He set a new 49ers' team record with 4,278 passing yards in the2000 season, although the team finished with a 6–10 record. Garcia finished the 2000 season, his first as a full-time starter with 31 touchdown passes to only 10 INTs.[16] Garcia began the season on a tear, after 7 games, he had thrown for 19 touchdown passes, including 3 games of 4 touchdown passes.
By the2001 season, Garcia had become entrenched as the 49ers' starting quarterback. He had a career-high with 32 touchdown passes, including 21 over an eight-game span.[17] With Garcia at quarterback, the 49ers made the playoffs, but fell to Green Bay 25–15 in the first round.[18]
2002 saw Garcia's offensive production drop from 31 and 32 TDs in the previous two seasons, to only 21. But even though Garcia's numbers dropped, the 49ers won theNFC West for the first time since 1997, with the division-clinching game coming on a last-second TD pass toTerrell Owens against theDallas Cowboys. The 49ers trailed the Cowboys 27–17 with under 7 minutes left in the game before Garcia picked apart the Cowboy secondary for 2 touchdown passes (one toTai Streets and the game winner to Owens).[19] Garcia completed 36 of 55 passes for 276 yards and 3 4th-quarter touchdown passes in the division-clinching win.
On January 5, 2003, during the2002–2003 playoffs, Garcia led the 49ers to a comeback win over theNew York Giants, the second largest comeback victory in NFL playoff history. In the third quarter, the Giants were up 38–14, with about eighteen minutes left to play. Once the 49ers regained possession of the ball, they began a comeback that saw 25 unanswered points, with San Francisco taking a 39–38 lead. The Giants lost an opportunity to retake the lead after a controversial call, and the improbable victory became the signature game of Garcia's 49er career. He threw for 331 yards, 3 touchdowns, 1 interception, and also ran for 60 yards and 1 touchdown.
Garcia's favorite target while with the 49ers was WRTerrell Owens. In 2003, Garcia and Owens's relationship turned sour upon Garcia taking issue with Owens's public praise for the play of backup quarterbackTim Rattay. Garcia responded with a cryptic "we cannot let the sickness spread" remark, prompting Owens to wear a surgeon's mask at the following practice. Following Owens's trade to Philadelphia, Owens was asked in aPlayboy interview if he thought Garcia was gay, to which he responded, "If it looks like a rat and smells like a rat, by golly, it is a rat." Garcia called Owens' insinuations "ridiculous" and "untrue."[20]
Following his 2004 trade toPhiladelphia, Owens began speaking out and criticizing Garcia for the 49ers' offensive struggles during the 2003 season (the 49ers finished 7–9, with Garcia throwing 18 touchdowns and 13 interceptions during the season).[21]
Garcia revealed on multiple occasions that the pressure of following in the footsteps ofJoe Montana andSteve Young had gotten to him.[22]
Upon his departure, Garcia said, "Have somebody step into my shoes and feel what I had to deal with throughout that whole time in San Francisco. The dust would start to settle, and all of a sudden, more fuel was thrown into the fire. It was such a negative situation."[23]
In Owens' first season with Garcia as his quarterback, Owens caught 60 passes and went on to have campaigns of 97, 93, 100 and 80 receptions over the next four seasons, two times leading the league in touchdown catches.[23]
The2003 season was a disappointment for Garcia and the 49ers.[24] Following their 2002 playoff loss at the hands of the eventual Super Bowl ChampionTampa Bay Buccaneers, the 49ers fired head coachSteve Mariucci and replaced him with formerSeattle Seahawks coachDennis Erickson, who promised a wide open and vertical passing game.
Injuries to key players on both sides of the ball, and the often reckless play of Garcia, took a toll on him, as he missed three games during the season. The 49ers finished 7–9 and missed the playoffs for the first time in three seasons.
Following the2003 season, Garcia was released.[25]
Garcia signed a contract with theCleveland Browns on March 9, 2004. Garcia was released by the Browns after the2004 season, in which he struggled to find any consistency and battled with injuries. On September 19, Garcia completed 8-of-27 passes for 71 yards and 3 interceptions in a 19–12 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, resulting in a career-lowpasser rating of 0. Despite his struggles, Garcia tied the record for longest career pass play (99 yards) on a completion toAndré Davis on October 17, in a win against theCincinnati Bengals.
He was signed by theDetroit Lions to a one-year contract on March 12, 2005, to play for his former San Francisco head coach,Steve Mariucci, but Garcia broke hisfibula in the fourth pre-season game against theBuffalo Bills on September 2. He started his first regular-season game as quarterback for the Lions on October 23, against his former teammates, the Browns. Garcia led the Lions to a 13–10 victory completing 22 of his 34 pass attempts for 210 yards, with one touchdown and zero interceptions.
After the win, Mariucci named Garcia the starting quarterback for the remainder of the season, overJoey Harrington, the longtime Detroit starter. Garcia struggled later in the season and Harrington returned as the starter. Following the season, the Lions did not offer Garcia a new contract.
On March 15, 2006, after consecutive frustrating seasons with the Browns and Lions, Garcia signed a one-year contract with thePhiladelphia Eagles to serve as the primary backup toDonovan McNabb in2006.[26] McNabb had been lost to injury the previous season, and the Eagles went 1–6 without him and missed the playoffs just a year removed from theirSuper Bowl appearance. Because McNabb was already wearing number 5, Garcia had his jersey number changed to 7, previously worn in Philadelphia byRon Jaworski.
Following McNabb's season-ending knee injury in a game against theTennessee Titans on November 19, 2006, Garcia entered the game. CoachAndy Reid named Garcia as the starting quarterback for the remainder of the season over fellow backupA. J. Feeley, despite Feeley's popularity inPhiladelphia[27] (Feeley had previously gone 4–1 in 2002 when McNabb was injured). Garcia's first start for the Eagles came against the Colts onSunday Night Football.
With a 45–21 loss to Indianapolis dropping the Eagles below .500, many sportscasters (namelyJimmy Johnson) predicted the Eagles to be out of contention for the rest of the season.[citation needed] However, Garcia led the Eagles to five consecutive victories and the NFC East division championship. The rejuvenated quarterback threw ten touchdowns and only two interceptions, while posting aQB rating of 95.8 in eight total games played. He also made the front cover ofSports Illustrated following his five-game winning streak. On January 7, 2007, Garcia earned only his second ever playoff win, throwing for 153 yards and one touchdown in a 23–20 victory over the Giants. On January 13, 2007, Garcia and the Eagles lost to theNew Orleans Saints by a score of 27–24. He threw for 240 yards, 75 of which came on a touchdown toDonté Stallworth (setting the record for the longest passing touchdown in Eagles' postseason history).
Though he stated that he would love to re-sign with Philadelphia, the Eagles decided not to offer Garcia a new contract after the season. The Eagles opted to instead sign the younger Feeley to a three-year deal, and avoid a potential quarterback controversy between Garcia and McNabb.[28][29]
After his run with the Eagles, Garcia signed with theTampa Bay Buccaneers on March 3, 2007, to compete for their starting position.[30] Although his more familiar number 5 was available, Garcia decided to keep the number 7 he wore with the Eagles. He was named the Buccaneers' starting quarterback for 2007.
Taking over the reins of a Buccaneers team that went 4–12 in 2006, Garcia led them to theNFC South division title. The Buccaneers lost to the eventualSuper Bowl championNew York Giants, 24–14, in theWild Card Round.[31] Garcia would be named to his fourthPro Bowl that season, his first since 2002. The Buccaneers would not return to the playoffs until the2020 season.
In the 2008 season opener, Garcia left the game due to injury. Tampa would end up using a "quarterback by committee" rotation between Garcia,Brian Griese, andLuke McCown through the year. During a victory over theSeattle Seahawks, Garcia passed for 310 yards, surpassing 40,000 yards for his career when combining hisstatistics from both the CFL and NFL, becoming the twentieth player to accomplish the feat.[32] The uncertainty at quarterback led to the Buccaneers losing their final four games in a row, dropping to 9–7 and out of the playoffs. They ultimately decided to move on from Garcia and not re-sign him in the offseason.[33]
Garcia signed a one-year deal with theOakland Raiders on April 6, 2009.[34] As he did in Tampa Bay,Bruce Gradkowski changed his number to 5 to allow Garcia to wear number 7. He was expected to back upJaMarcus Russell in the 2009 season, but was released during final cuts on September 5, 2009.[35]
After Eagles' quarterbackDonovan McNabb suffered a fractured rib in week one, the Eagles signed Garcia to a one-year contract on September 14, 2009.[36] He was released on September 29, followingMichael Vick's return from suspension. During this short stint with the Eagles, he wore jersey number 9.
Garcia was one of the signature players of theUnited Football League and his former team, theOmaha Nighthawks. He won two offensive player of the week awards during the 2010 season, having produced a game-winning drive in two separate games.[37]
On December 6, 2011, Garcia signed with theHouston Texans, following an injury to starting quarterbackMatt Schaub.[38]Jake Delhomme was also signed by Houston, as both he and Garcia would back upT. J. Yates.
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Grey Cup MVP | |
| Won theGrey Cup | |
| Led the league | |
| NFL record | |
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | Games | Passing | Rushing | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Y/A | Lng | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Y/A | Lng | TD | ||
| 1994 | Calgary | 7 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 66.7 | 10 | 3.3 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 81.3 | 2 | 3 | 1.5 | 2 | 0 |
| 1995 | Calgary | 18 | 8 | 230 | 364 | 63.3 | 3,358 | 9.2 | 60 | 25 | 7 | 108.1 | 61 | 396 | 6.5 | 25 | 5 |
| 1996 | Calgary | 18 | 18 | 315 | 537 | 58.7 | 4,225 | 7.9 | 104 | 25 | 16 | 86.9 | 92 | 657 | 7.1 | 30 | 6 |
| 1997 | Calgary | 17 | 17 | 354 | 566 | 62.5 | 4,573 | 8.1 | 52 | 33 | 14 | 97.0 | 135 | 727 | 5.4 | 28 | 7 |
| 1998 | Calgary | 18 | 17 | 348 | 554 | 62.8 | 4,276 | 7.7 | 62 | 28 | 15 | 92.3 | 94 | 575 | 6.1 | 46 | 6 |
| Career | 78 | 60 | 1,249 | 2,024 | 61.7 | 16,442 | 8.1 | 104 | 111 | 52 | 94.9 | 384 | 2,358 | 6.1 | 46 | 24 | |
| Year | Team | Games | Passing | Rushing | Sacked | Fumbles | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Record | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Y/A | Lng | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Y/A | Lng | TD | Sck | SckY | Fum | Lost | ||
| 1999 | SF | 13 | 10 | 2–8 | 225 | 375 | 60.0 | 2,544 | 6.8 | 62 | 11 | 11 | 77.9 | 45 | 231 | 5.1 | 25 | 2 | 15 | 104 | 5 | 2 |
| 2000 | SF | 16 | 16 | 6–10 | 355 | 561 | 63.3 | 4,278 | 7.6 | 69 | 31 | 10 | 97.6 | 72 | 414 | 5.8 | 33 | 4 | 24 | 155 | 7 | 1 |
| 2001 | SF | 16 | 16 | 12–4 | 316 | 504 | 62.7 | 3,538 | 7.0 | 61 | 32 | 12 | 94.8 | 72 | 254 | 3.5 | 25 | 5 | 26 | 114 | 9 | 3 |
| 2002 | SF | 16 | 16 | 10–6 | 328 | 528 | 62.1 | 3,344 | 6.3 | 76 | 21 | 10 | 85.6 | 73 | 353 | 4.8 | 21 | 3 | 17 | 93 | 2 | 2 |
| 2003 | SF | 13 | 13 | 5–8 | 225 | 392 | 57.4 | 2,704 | 6.9 | 75 | 18 | 13 | 80.1 | 56 | 319 | 5.7 | 21 | 7 | 21 | 104 | 9 | 3 |
| 2004 | CLE | 11 | 10 | 3–7 | 144 | 252 | 57.1 | 1,731 | 6.9 | 99 | 10 | 9 | 76.7 | 35 | 169 | 4.8 | 21 | 2 | 24 | 99 | 9 | 6 |
| 2005 | DET | 6 | 5 | 1–4 | 102 | 173 | 59.0 | 937 | 5.4 | 49 | 3 | 6 | 65.1 | 17 | 51 | 3.0 | 14 | 1 | 6 | 34 | 1 | 0 |
| 2006 | PHI | 8 | 6 | 5–1 | 116 | 188 | 61.7 | 1,309 | 7.0 | 65 | 10 | 2 | 95.8 | 25 | 87 | 3.5 | 12 | 0 | 6 | 40 | 6 | 2 |
| 2007 | TB | 13 | 13 | 8–5 | 209 | 327 | 63.9 | 2,440 | 7.5 | 69 | 13 | 4 | 94.6 | 35 | 116 | 3.3 | 21 | 1 | 19 | 104 | 4 | 2 |
| 2008 | TB | 12 | 11 | 6–5 | 244 | 376 | 64.9 | 2,712 | 7.2 | 71 | 12 | 6 | 90.2 | 35 | 148 | 4.2 | 20 | 1 | 23 | 100 | 7 | 2 |
| 2009 | PHI | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 3 | −2 | −0.7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2011 | HOU | Did not play | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Career | 125 | 116 | 58–58 | 2,264 | 3,676 | 61.6 | 25,537 | 6.9 | 99 | 161 | 83 | 87.5 | 468 | 2,140 | 4.6 | 33 | 26 | 181 | 947 | 60 | 24 | |
| Year | Team | Games | Passing | Rushing | Sacked | Fumbles | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Record | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Y/A | Lng | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Y/A | Lng | TD | Sck | SckY | Fum | Lost | ||
| 2001 | SF | 1 | 1 | 0–1 | 22 | 32 | 68.8 | 233 | 7.3 | 22 | 1 | 1 | 87.1 | 2 | 3 | 1.5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 14 | 1 | 0 |
| 2002 | SF | 2 | 2 | 1–1 | 49 | 85 | 57.6 | 524 | 6.2 | 76 | 3 | 4 | 68.0 | 7 | 60 | 8.6 | 14 | 1 | 4 | 27 | 3 | 1 |
| 2006 | PHI | 2 | 2 | 1–1 | 32 | 61 | 52.5 | 393 | 6.4 | 75 | 2 | 0 | 83.6 | 8 | 23 | 2.9 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 23 | 1 | 0 |
| 2007 | TB | 1 | 1 | 0–1 | 23 | 39 | 59.0 | 207 | 5.3 | 26 | 1 | 2 | 60.5 | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| 2011 | HOU | Did not play | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Career | 6 | 6 | 2–4 | 126 | 217 | 58.1 | 1,357 | 6.3 | 76 | 7 | 7 | 73.8 | 18 | 88 | 4.9 | 14 | 1 | 10 | 69 | 6 | 1 | |
| Year | Team | Games | Passing | Rushing | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Y/A | Lng | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Y/A | Lng | TD | ||
| 2010 | Omaha | 8 | 8 | 132 | 255 | 51.8 | 1,321 | 5.2 | 48 | 9 | 11 | 60.6 | 24 | 68 | 2.8 | 14 | 0 |
| Career | 8 | 8 | 132 | 255 | 51.8 | 1,321 | 5.2 | 48 | 9 | 11 | 60.6 | 24 | 68 | 2.8 | 14 | 0 | |
Garcia joined the advisory board of the revival of the United States Football League (USFL) in May 2012.[39] In August 2014 Garcia was hired as an offensive consultant by theMontreal Alouettes of the CFL.[40] Just days later he was named the Alouettes' quarterbacks coach. In May 2015, theSt. Louis Rams hired Garcia as an offensive assistant which lasted for one season.[41][42] Garcia has shown interest in developing the skills and mechanics in other quarterbacks, as he has worked withMatt McGloin,Mark Sanchez, andTyrod Taylor.[43] Garcia has also expressed his interest in developingColin Kaepernick's mechanics and skills as well.[43][44]
Garcia is the third of seven children born to Bob and Linda (née Elder) Garcia. His father is a former athletic director and football coach atGavilan College in his hometown ofGilroy, California.[45] A pair of twin girls died before Garcia's birth. His younger brother Jason drowned on a family camping trip in 1977 when Garcia was seven, and fourteen months later his younger sister Kimberly died after falling out of a truck. His two surviving sisters, Jene and Melissa, were born after the deaths of Jason and Kimberly. Garcia has said that much of his drive stems from trying to make his parents happy after the deaths of his siblings.[46]
His maternal grandfather,Maurice "Red" Elder, was a football star atKansas State University in the 1930s; both played in theEast–West Shrine Game while in college, the only grandfather-grandson duo to do so.[47] Elder was a longtime coach at Gilroy High School. Garcia donated money to refurbish the athletic field at the school, and in 2005, the field was renamed Garcia-Elder Field to honor both of them.[48]
Garcia, who is ofMexican,German, andIrish heritage, has also done various charitable work in support of the Hispanic Scholarship Fund.[49][50]
On April 21, 2007, Garcia marriedCarmella DeCesare, an American model who wasPlayboy magazine's Miss April 2003 and Playmate of the Year for 2004[51] at the CordeValle Resort inSan Martin, California.[52] They have four children.[53][54] In a Christmas Day 2020 reply to a post on his Instagram account, Garcia stated that he and DeCesare were divorced, saying, "Things happen but we are still great friends and co parent our beautiful 4 kids together. All is good man."[55][better source needed]
As of December 2024 Garcia is the offensive coordinator forMira Mesa Senior High School in San Diego, California.
Garcia and DeCesare founded the Garcia Pass It On Foundation in order to share resources with people in less fortunate circumstances.[56][57] The Foundation is closed.[citation needed]
