Antonio Garay

Last updated

Antonio Garay
Antonio Garay 06112013.jpg
Garay signing autographs at New York Jets Mini Camp in Florham Park, NJ, on June 11, 2013
No. 95, 90, 71
Position: Nose tackle
Personal information
Born: (1979-11-30) November 30, 1979 (age 44)
Rahway, New Jersey, U.S.
Height:6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:320 lb (145 kg)
Career information
High school: Rahway (Rahway, New Jersey)
College: Boston College
NFL draft: 2003  / Round: 6 / Pick: 195
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles:138
Sacks:9.0
Player stats at NFL.com

Antonio Garay Jr. (born November 30, 1979) is a former American football nose tackle. He was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the sixth round of the 2003 NFL Draft. [1] He played college football and wrestled at Boston College. He was a NCAA wrestling All-American his sophomore year, placing 4th at the NCAA Championships while at Boston College.

Contents

Garay was also a member of the Chicago Bears, San Diego Chargers, and New York Jets.

He is notable for his outrageous hairstyles and for driving a Hello Kitty-themed smart car. [2]

Early years

Garay is Jewish. [3] [4] [5] Garay's mother is Jewish and his father is a Catholic of Jamaican, Costa Rican, and Puerto Rican descent. [4] He was exposed to both parents' faiths. [6] [7] He attended Rahway High School in Rahway, New Jersey, and was a standout offensive and defensive lineman. He was also the NJSIAA 275 lb (125 kg). state and national wrestling champion in 1998 and a high school All-American, winning the National High School Wrestling Tournament in Pittsburgh in 1998. [8]

College career

He played college football and wrestled at Boston College. He was a NCAA wrestling All-American his sophomore year, placing 4th at the NCAA Championships while at Boston College in 2000. During the 2000 season, he was also named the Most Outstanding Wrestler at the East Coast Wrestling Association tournament (ECWA) for the second year. [8]

Professional career

Chicago Bears

Garay spent two seasons with the Chicago Bears and was a member of the 2006 NFC Championship team. In a December 2007 game against the Washington Redskins, Garay was injured by an illegal block. He was placed on injured reserve for the remainder of the 2007 season. On March 8, 2008, the Chicago Bears announced that they would part ways with the defensive tackle, and he became an unrestricted free agent on February 29, 2008.

New York Jets

On October 20, 2009, the New York Jets announced that they had signed Garay to their practice squad.

San Diego Chargers

Garay was signed off of the New York Jets' practice squad on December 9, 2009, by the San Diego Chargers. He was re-signed to a two-year deal on March 6, 2010. Garay was able to earn the starting job at nose tackle for the bulk of the 2010 season, and he finished 2010 with 48 tackles and 5.5 sacks, leading all San Diego defensive linemen in both categories.

Second stint with the Jets

Garay was signed by the New York Jets on March 15, 2013. [9] He was released on August 31, 2013. [10]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andre Carter</span> American football player and coach (born 1979)

Rubin Andre Carter is an American football coach and former player in the National Football League (NFL) A defensive end, he played college football for the California Golden Bears, and was a unanimous All-American. The San Francisco 49ers selected him with the seventh overall pick in the 2001 NFL Draft, and he also played for the Washington Redskins, New England Patriots and Oakland Raiders. Carter currently is a pass rush specialist for the Las Vegas Raiders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vince Wilfork</span> American football player (born 1981)

Vincent Lamar Wilfork is an American former professional football player who was a nose tackle in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons, primarily with the New England Patriots. He played college football for the Miami Hurricanes and was selected by the Patriots in the first round of the 2004 NFL Draft. He also played two seasons for the Houston Texans before retiring following the 2016 season. Along with Tom Brady, Wilfork is the only Patriots player to win the Super Bowl in both decades of the Patriots dynasty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donald Strickland</span> American football player (born 1980)

Donald Darell Strickland is a former American football cornerback. He was selected by the Indianapolis Colts in the third round of the 2003 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Colorado Boulder.

Josef Ian Scott is an American former college and professional football player who was a nose tackle in the National Football League (NFL) for six seasons during the 2000s. Scott played college football for the University of Florida, and thereafter, he played professionally for the Chicago Bears, Philadelphia Eagles and San Diego Chargers of the NFL.

David Stewart Ball is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons. He played college football for the UCLA Bruins, earning unanimous All-American honors in 2003. He was selected by the San Diego Chargers in the fifth round of the 2004 NFL Draft, and has also played for the New York Jets and Tennessee Titans of the NFL.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antonio Cromartie</span> American football player (born 1984)

Antonio Cromartie is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Florida State Seminoles and was selected in the first round by the San Diego Chargers in the 2006 NFL Draft. He was selected to four Pro Bowls and was a first-team All-Pro in 2007 after leading the league in interceptions. He also played for the Arizona Cardinals, New York Jets and Indianapolis Colts. Cromartie holds the record for the longest scoring play in NFL history after returning a missed field goal 109 yards for a touchdown in 2007. After his playing career, he was a graduate assistant for the Texas A&M Aggies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephen Cooper (American football)</span> American football player (born 1979)

Stephen Cooper is a former American football linebacker for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the University of Maine. He was signed by the San Diego Chargers as an undrafted free agent in 2003, and played his entire professional career for the Chargers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Titus Adams</span> American football player (born 1983)

Titus Adams is a former American football defensive end. He was selected by the New York Jets in the seventh round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He played college football at Nebraska.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antoine Cason</span> American football player (born 1986)

Antoine Brandon Cason is a former American football cornerback. He played college football at Arizona where he was recognized as a consensus All-American and won the Jim Thorpe Award. He was selected by the San Diego Chargers in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft. Cason also played for Arizona Cardinals, Carolina Panthers, and Baltimore Ravens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kris Dielman</span> American football player (born 1981)

Kristopher M. Dielman is an American former professional football player who was a guard for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons. He played college football for Indiana University. The Chargers signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2003, and he played his entire professional career for the Chargers. He was selected to the Pro Bowl four times, and was a member of the Chargers 50th Anniversary Team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carlos Polk</span> American football player and coach (born 1977)

Carlos Devonn Polk is an American football coach and former linebacker who is the assistant special teams coach for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as an assistant coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Dallas Cowboys, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, San Diego Chargers and Grossmont College.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Gregory (American football)</span> American football player and coach (born 1983)

Stephen C. Gregory is an American football coach and a former safety. He was signed by the San Diego Chargers as an undrafted free agent in 2006. He played college football and coached at Syracuse. Gregory was also a member of the New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eric Weddle</span> American football player (born 1985)

Eric Steven Weddle is an American former football safety who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons. He played college football for the Utah Utes, earning consensus All-American honors in 2006. He was selected by the San Diego Chargers in the second round of the 2007 NFL Draft. During his nine seasons with the Chargers, Weddle received three Pro Bowl and two first-team All-Pro selections. He spent his next three seasons as a member of the Baltimore Ravens, earning Pro Bowl honors in each and extending his total selections to six. He retired after playing for the Los Angeles Rams in 2019, but returned two years later to join the Rams on their playoff run, which culminated with a start and a victory in Super Bowl LVI. Following the championship, he retired a second time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brandon Mebane</span> American football player (born 1985)

Brandon Jerome Mebane is an American former professional football player who was a defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL). He attended Crenshaw High School in Los Angeles. He played college football for the California Golden Bears. He was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the third round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He also played in the NFL for the Los Angeles Chargers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ron Brace</span> American football player (1986–2016)

Ronald Jeffery Brace III was an American football nose tackle. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft as a defensive end. He played college football at Boston College.

Marcus Tyler Gilchrist is a former American football safety. He played college football at Clemson. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft and also had stints with the New York Jets, Houston Texans, Oakland Raiders, Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Baltimore Ravens.

Damik Alonzo Scafe is a former American football defensive end. He was originally signed by the San Diego Chargers as an undrafted free agent in 2011. He played college football at Boston College.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khalil Mack</span> American football player (born 1991)

Khalil Delshon Mack is an American football linebacker for the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Buffalo and was selected by the Oakland Raiders with the fifth overall pick in the 2014 NFL draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeremiah Attaochu</span> Nigerian-born American football player (born 1993)

Jeremiah Ojimaojo Attaochu is a Nigerian born American football linebacker who is a free agent. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the second round of the 2014 NFL draft. He played college football at Georgia Tech. He has also been a member of the San Francisco 49ers, New York Jets, Kansas City Chiefs, Denver Broncos, Chicago Bears, and Baltimore Ravens.

Titus Davis was an American professional football player who was a wide receiver. He played college football for the Central Michigan Chippewas, and holds the school records for both career receiving yards and touchdowns. Davis was signed by the San Diego Chargers as an undrafted free agent in 2015. His younger brother, Corey, was a wide receiver for the New York Jets.

References

  1. ↑ "2003 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
  2. ↑ "Antonio Garay: The nose tackle who drives a Hello Kitty smart car". Yahoo Sports.
  3. ↑ "2011 NFL Football Preview". Jewish Sports Review. 8 (87): 6–7. September–October 2011.
  4. 1 2 "San Diego Chargers: Antonio Garay". Archived from the original on December 29, 2010. Retrieved 2011-05-11.
  5. ↑ Jewish Sports Review , September/October 2010, Vol. 7, Issue 81
  6. ↑ Carew, Chrissy (April 15, 2020). "Antonio Garay". Insightful Player.
  7. ↑ Chris Jenkins. "Comeback by Chargers' Garay wasn't kids' play". U-T San Diego.
  8. 1 2 "The Heights, Volume LXXXI, Number 009 — 28 March 2000 — Boston College Newspapers". newspapers.bc.edu.
  9. ↑ Orr, Conor (March 15, 2013). "Jets sign former Chargers nose tackle Antonio Garay". The Star-Ledger. Archived from the original on March 21, 2013. Retrieved March 15, 2013.
  10. ↑ Lange, Randy (August 31, 2013). "Jets Move 22, Get Down to 53-Man Active Roster". New York Jets. Archived from the original on September 3, 2013. Retrieved 1 September 2013.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.