Jeff Garcia

At 54 years old, Jeff Garcia has this physical status:

Jeffrey Jason Garcia (born February 24, 1970) is a former American football and Canadian football quarterback.

After attending high school and junior college in Gilroy, California, Garcia played college football at San Jose State University. A four-time CFL All-Star and four-time NFL Pro Bowl selection, Garcia began his professional football career with the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League (CFL) as an undrafted free agent in 1994.

In 1999, Garcia debuted in the National Football League (NFL) with the San Francisco 49ers.

With the 49ers, Garcia made three Pro Bowl appearances (for the 2000, 2001, and 2002 seasons) and led the team to the playoffs in the 2001 and 2002 seasons.

Afterwards, Garcia encountered a low point in his career, starting with a lackluster 2003 season with San Francisco then two losing seasons with the Cleveland Browns in 2004 and the Detroit Lions in 2005.

With the Philadelphia Eagles, Garcia returned to form late in the 2006 season, starting for an injured Donovan McNabb and leading Philadelphia to the playoffs.

Garcia joined the Tampa 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 career Pro Bowl appearance. After his stint with Tampa, Garcia returned to the Philadelphia Eagles in 2009 and played only one game.

In 2010, Garcia played for the Omaha Nighthawks of the United Football League.

In 2011, Garcia signed with the Houston 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.

Early years

Garcia attended Gilroy High School in Gilroy, California, and was a letterman in football and basketball. As a senior at Gilroy High, Garcia was a South Santa Clara County selection for the Charlie Wedemeyer All-Star Football Game and played defensive back in the game. After graduating from Gilroy in 1988, Garcia attended Gavilan College, a local junior 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.

In 1990, Garcia transferred to San Jose State University and redshirted his first year there. From 1991 to 1993, Garcia was starting quarterback on the San Jose State Spartans football team. Under Garcia, San Jose State went 6-4-1 in 1991, 7–4 in 1992, and 2–9 in 1993. 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. For his junior season in 1992, Garcia earned UPI All-America honors. As of 2007, Garcia had the most career offensive yards (7,274) in San Jose State history.

Personal life

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 at Gavilan College in his hometown of Gilroy, California. 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.

In January 2004, Garcia was arrested for driving under the influence. His blood alcohol content (BAC) was measured at .237 percent.

His maternal grandfather, Maurice "Red" Elder, was a football star at Kansas State University in the 1930s; both played in the East–West Shrine Game while in college, the only grandfather-grandson duo to do so. 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.

Garcia, who is of Mexican and Irish heritage, has also done various charitable work in support of the Hispanic Scholarship Fund.

On April 21, 2007, Garcia married Carmella DeCesare, an American model who was Playboy magazine's Miss April 2003 and Playmate of the Year for 2004 at the CordeValle Resort in San Martin, California. They have four children. In a Christmas Day 2020 reply to a poster 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."

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Professional career

Garcia is one of only 12 quarterbacks in NFL history to have had two consecutive touchdown passes seasons (2000 and 2001) at least once in his career. The others are Philip Rivers, Steve Bartkowski, Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, Brett Favre, Dan Favre, Dan Fouts, Dan Marino, Aaron Rodgers, Y. A. Tittle, Russell Wilson, Patrick Mahomes, and Josh Allen were among Eli Manning, Russell Wilson, Russell Wilson, Patrick Mahomes. He is also one of only thirteen quarterbacks to throw a 99-yard touchdown pass.

Garcia, who was 6-foot-1 and 195 pounds, was deemed too small for the National Football League and was not selected in the 1994 NFL Draft. Garcia began his football career with the Calgary Stampeders in 1994. In his first-quarter appearance in 1994, he earned a spot on Calgary's roster as their third-string quarterback behind Doug Flutie and Steve Taylor. Doug Flutie was drafted back in backup quarterback position right away. Garcia took over as starter in 1995 when Flutie was sidelined midway through the season due to an elbow injury. Garcia recorded 546 passing yards and six touchdown passes in his second appearance with Flutie, sparking a potential quarterback debate among some fans as Flutie returned to action. In the Grey Cup, where the Stampeders lost, Flutie started over Garcia. Garcia was hired as the Stampeders' starting quarterback after Flutie signed as a free agent with the Toronto Argonauts in 1996. The Stampeders finished with records of 13–5, 10–8, and 12–6 during Garcia's three years as starter.

Garcia received the Jeff Nicklin Memorial Trophy in 1997, an award given to the Most Outstanding Player in the CFL Western Division. In 1996 and 1997, Garcia led the Stampeders to the Western Final and the Western Semi-Final. In 1998, he led the team to a Grey Cup win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and was named as the team's MVP. Garcia's game-winning field goal was set up on the last play of the game, with an 80-yard, game-ending sprint. Garcia was also named as the 1998 CFL All-Star quarterback.

Garcia and five others were inducted into the Stampeders Wall of Fame on September 14, 2012 (Rudy Linterman, Gerry Shaw, Kelvin Anderson, Norman Kwong).

Garcia was signed as a back-up to Steve Young of the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League after the Grey Cup victory. Steve Young had been training for a spot on the roster over the summer, but early in the 1999 season, he was struck by Arizona Cardinals CB Aeneas Williams and sustained his last professional concussion, knocking him out for the year. Garcia stepped in and shared some time with former Stanford quarterback Steve Stenstrom, who is now in his seventh season.

Garcia made his first NFL appearance against the Tennessee Titans, 24-22. Garcia was recalled as the starting QB and in the final five games of the regular season after being suspended for poor results, with 8 TD passes out of only 2 interceptions. Garcia had 11 TDs and 11 INTs in his rookie season.

Garcia retained the starting quarterback position and made his first Pro Bowl appearance, with Young retired and the 49ers drafting two quarterbacks (Giovanni Carmazzi in the third round and Tim Rattay in the seventh). In the 2000 season, he set a new 49ers' team record of 4,278 passing yards, but the team ended with a 6–10 record. Garcia played for 31 TD passes to only 10 INTs in the 2000 season, his first as a full starter. Garcia started the season on a high note after 7 games, including three games of 4 TD passes.

Garcia had been established as the 49ers' starting quarterback by the 2001 season. He had a career-high with 32 touchdown passes, including 21 over an eight-game stretch. The 49ers made their first playoff appearance in nearly two years with quarterback Drew Garcia, but the first round ended with a 25–15 loss to Green Bay.

Garcia's offensive output dropped from 31 and 32 TDs in the previous two seasons to just 21. But even as Garcia's number decreased, the 49ers retained the NFC West for the first time since 1997, with the division-clinching game between Terrell Owens and the Dallas Cowboys kicking in last-second TD passes. With under 7 minutes remaining in the game, the 49ers trailed the Cowboys 27–17 before Garcia cracked apart the Cowboy secondary for two TD passes (one to Tai Streets and the game winner to Terrell Owens). In the division-clinching victory, Garcia completed 36 of 55 passes for 276 yards and 3 4th-quarter TD passes.

Garcia led the 49ers to a comeback victory over the New York Giants on January 5, 2003, the second most significant comeback victory in NFL playoff history. The Giants were up 38–14 in the third quarter, with only eighteen minutes remaining to play. Once the 49ers regained possession of the ball, they began a comeback that culminated in 25 unanswered points, with San Francisco taking the lead by 39-38. After a contentious call, the Giants lost a chance to regain control, and Garcia's improbable victory became Garcia's signature game of his 49er career. He threw for 331 yards, 3 touchdowns, 1 interception, 1 intercept, and 1 touchdown, as well as running for 60 yards and 1 touchdown.

WR Terrell Owens was Garcia's favorite target while with the 49ers. Garcia and Owens' friendship in 2003 sour after Garcia was critical of Owens' public praise for backup quarterback Tim Rattay's play. Garcia replied with a cryptic "We can not allow the disease to spread" remark, causing Owens to wear a surgeon's mask at the following session. Owens was asked if he thought Garcia was gay, but he replied, "If it looks like a rat and smells like a rat, it's a rat." Owens' insinuations were described as "ridiculous" and "untrue," according to Garcia.

Owens, a former Philadelphia resident, began speaking out and criticizing Garcia for the 49ers' offensive struggles during the 2003 season (the 49ers won 7–9, Garcia 18 TD passes, 13 INTs).

Garcia denied that the pressure of following in Joe Montana and Steve Young had gotten to him on several occasions.

Garcia said after his departure, "Have someone step into my shoes and see what I had to deal with all the time in San Francisco." The smoke would begin to settle, and all of a sudden, more fuel was thrown into the fire. It was in such bleak shape.

Owens won 60 passes and went on to have 97, 93, 100, and 80 receptions over the next four seasons, two times leading the league in TD catches in Owens' first season as his quarterback.

Garcia and the 49ers were dissatisfied with the 2003 season. The 49ers fired head coach Steve Mariucci and swapped him with former Seattle Seahawks coach Dennis Erickson, who promised a wide open and vertical passing game following their 2002 playoff loss.

Injuries to key players on both directions of the game, as well as Garcia's often irresponsible play, took a toll on him. For the first time in three seasons, the 49ers went 7-9 and missed the playoffs for the first time in three seasons.

Garcia was released after the 2003 season.

Garcia signed a new deal with the Cleveland Browns on March 9, 2004. Garcia was cut by the Browns in 2004, when he struggled to find any consistency and suffered with injuries. Garcia lost 19–12 to the Dallas Cowboys on September 19, 2004, resulting in a career-low passer rating of 0. Despite his struggles, Garcia tied for the longest pass play (99 yards) on a complete victory over André Davis on October 17, 2004, defeating the Cincinnati Bengals.

Garcia was signed by the Detroit Lions to a one-year deal on March 12, 2005 to play for his former San Francisco head coach Steve Mariucci, but he broke his fibula in his fourth pre-season game against the Buffalo Bills on September 2, 2005. On October 23, 2005, he played for his first regular-season game against his former teammates, the Browns. Garcia led the Lions to a 13-10 victory after scoring 22 of his 34 pass attempts for 210 yards, with one touchdown and zero interceptions.

Mariucci named Garcia the starting quarterback for the remainder of the season after winning over Joey Harrington, the long-serving Detroit starter. Garcia suffered later in the season, but Harrington returned as the starter. Garcia did not get a new deal after the season.

Garcia re-signed with the Philadelphia Eagles on March 15, 2006, after two miserable seasons with the Browns and Lions, as the primary backup to Donovan McNabb. McNabb had been hospitalized during the previous season, and the Eagles went 1–6 without him, missing the playoffs just a year after the team's Super Bowl appearance. Because McNabb was already wearing number 5, Garcia's jersey number was changed to 7, which had not been worn in Philadelphia by Ron Jaworski.

Garcia was allowed to play following McNabb's season-ending knee injury in a game against the Tennessee Titans on November 19, 2006. Despite Feeley's success in Philadelphia when McNabb was out of place, coach Andy Reid named Garcia as the starting quarterback for the remainder of the season over fellow backup A. J. Feeley. Garcia made his Eagles debut against the Colts on Sunday Night Football, the Eagles' first appearance.

Many sportscasters (including Jimmy Johnson) predicted that the Eagles would be out of contention for the remainder of the season after losing by 45-21 to Indianapolis dropping the Eagles below.500. Garcia, on the other hand, led the Eagles to five straight victories and the NFC East division championship. In eight total games played, the resurgent quarterback threw ten touchdowns and only two interceptions, while still having a QB rating of 95.8. Following his five-game winning streak, he also appeared on Sports Illustrated's front page. Garcia won his second straight victory in a 23-20 victory over the Giants on January 7, 2007, throwing for 153 yards and one touchdown. Garcia and the Eagles lost by 27–24 to the New Orleans Saints on January 13, 2007. Donté Stallworth threw for 240 yards, 75 of which came on a touchdown (setting the record for the longest passing touchdown in Eagles' postseason history).

Despite the fact that he said he would like to re-sign with Philadelphia, the Eagles decided not to give Garcia a new contract until the season. Instead, the Eagles decided to commit the younger Feeley to a three-year contract instead, avoiding a potential quarterback controversies between Garcia and McNabb.

Garcia, who spent time with the Eagles, has signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on March 3, 2007 to compete for their starting position. Although his more familiar number 5 was available, Garcia elected to keep the number 7 he wore with the Eagles. For 2007, he was named as the Buccaneers' starting quarterback.

Garcia, who took over the reigns of a Buccaneers team that went 4-12 in 2006, led them to the NFC South division championship. In the Wild Card game, the Buccaneers lost 24-14 to the eventual Super Bowl champion New York Giants. Garcia will be named in his fourth Pro Bowl appearance this season, his first since 2002. The Buccaneers will not return to the playoffs until the 2020 season.

Garcia missed the game due to injury in the 2008 season opener. Garcia, Brian Griese, and Luke McCown will all be used by committee during the year. Garcia passed for 310 yards, beating the Seattle Seahawks for his career, becoming the twentieth player to do so. The Buccaneers lost their last four games in a row, dropping to 9–7 and out of the playoffs due to the ambiguity at quarterback. In the offseason, the couple opted to move on from Garcia rather than re-sign him.

Garcia was signed by the Oakland Raiders on April 6, 2009. Bruce Gradkowski changed his number to 5 to encourage Garcia to wear number 7. During final cuts on September 5, 2009, he had been expected to assist JaMarcus Russell in the 2009 season but was suspended.

After Donovan McNabb, the Eagles' quarterback, sustained a fractured rib in week one, the Eagles agreed to a one-year deal on September 14, 2009. Following Michael Vick's release from jail, he was released on September 29. He wore jersey number 9 during his brief time with the Eagles.

Garcia was one of the most iconic players of the United Football League and his former club, the Omaha Nighthawks, was one of the Omaha Nighthawks. He received two offensive player of the week awards during the 2010 season, as he had a game-winning streak in two separate games.

Following an injury to starting quarterback Matt Schaub, Garcia signed with the Houston Texans on December 6, 2011. As T. J. Yates' case, Jake Delhomme was also signed by Houston, and both he and Garcia will support him.

Post-playing career

Garcia joined the advisory board of the revival of the United States Football League (USFL) in May 2012. Garcia was hired as an offensive consultant by the Montreal Alouettes of the CFL in August 2014. He was named the Alouettes' quarterbacks coach just days later. Garcia was hired by the Los Angeles Rams in May 2015 as an offensive assistant, which lasted for one season. Garcia has expressed an interest in learning the techniques and mechanics of other quarterbacks, as he has worked with Matt McGloin, Mark Sanchez, and Tyrod Taylor. Garcia has also expressed an interest in refining Colin Kaepernick's mechanics and skills.

Jeff Garcia was selected as a candidate for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2019.

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