Garrard was born in East Orange, New Jersey and grew up in Durham, North Carolina. When he was fourteen his mother died of breast cancer. When he began his professional career he created The David Garrard Foundation to promote breast cancer awareness and research.[1]
Garrard attended Southern High School in Durham, where he was named an All-America choice by Prep Stars and rated the best high school quarterback in North Carolina.[2] Veteran high school coaches in North Carolina said Garrard possessed one of the strongest arms they had ever seen and compared Garrard to former NFL quarterback and North Carolina native Roman Gabriel.[3]
College career
Garrard attended East Carolina University, where he played for the East Carolina Pirates football team.[4] Although physically larger than most quarterbacks at more than 240 pounds, Garrard displayed exceptional mobility. Former East Carolina head football coach Steve Logan compared the experience of tackling Garrard to "getting hit by a beer truck."[5] Garrard also proved durable, starting every game for the Pirates in the 1999, 2000, and 2001 seasons.
In Garrard's sophomore season, he led the Pirates to a 9–3 record with victories over the West Virginia Mountaineers, South Carolina Gamecocks, Miami Hurricanes, and North Carolina State Wolfpack. In the fourth game of the season against Miami, East Carolina came back from a 20–3 deficit to defeat the 13th-ranked Miami Hurricanes, 27–23. Garrard threw a 27-yard touchdown pass to Keith Stokes for the go-ahead score in the final minutes of the game. ECU was unable to play the scheduled home game at Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium on its campus in Greenville, NC, because Hurricane Floyd had ravaged the eastern part of the state the prior week. The hurricane also prevented the Pirates from returning to Greenville following a road victory against South Carolina, leaving ECU's football team stranded in Columbia, SC. East Carolina moved the game against Miami to Carter–Finley Stadium in Raleigh.[6] The victory propelled ECU into the Associated Press college football poll's top 25. The Pirates spent eleven weeks ranked in the AP poll, climbed to as high as 16th in the poll, and finished the regular season ranked 20th.[7] East Carolina dropped out of the top 25 to 27th in the voting after losing 28–14 in the 1999 Mobile Alabama Bowl to Texas Christian University and the Horned Frogs' star running back, LaDainian Tomlinson.[8]
ECU finished 8–4 in Garrard's junior season. Garrard capped the season by throwing an unbelievable touchdown and rushing for another acrobatic touchdown in a 40–27 victory against Texas Tech in the Galleryfurniture.com Bowl.[9] Garrard's senior season began with high expectations but ended in disappointment. Although East Carolina averaged more than 35 points per game in 2001, the Pirates finished the season with a 6–6 record.[10]
Ironically, the final game of Garrard's college career pitted him against Marshall University and its starting quarterback, Byron Leftwich, in the 2001 GMAC Bowl. Garrard and Leftwich would eventually be teammates with the Jacksonville Jaguars and compete for the team's starting quarterback position. In the highest-scoring bowl game in college football history to that point, Leftwich brought Marshall back from a thirty-point deficit to defeat Garrard's East Carolina Pirates 64–61 in double-overtime.[11]
Garrard broke 28 school passing and offensive records[12] at East Carolina and joined a select few quarterbacks who achieved more than 9000 passing yards and 1000 rushing yards in their collegiate careers.[13]
Garrard went on to graduate from East Carolina University in 2001 with a degree in Construction Management.
Garrard was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the fourth round, with the 108th overall pick, of the 2002 draft .[17] Head coach Tom Coughlin saw him as the eventual successor to starting quarterback Mark Brunell.[18] Coughlin however was fired following the 2002 season, and the team drafted quarterback Byron Leftwich with the seventh overall pick in the 2003 NFL draft. Leftwich replaced an injured Brunell midway through the 2003 season, and Garrard continued to serve as the team's backup.
Garrard was diagnosed with Crohn's disease in January 2004,[19] and underwent treatment. Despite having surgery to remove a nearly 12-inch portion of his intestines in June, Garrard was healthy to start the 2004 season.[20] His only start of the season came in Week 9 against Detroit when Leftwich was injured; he threw two touchdowns to zero interceptions, with his second touchdown coming in overtime to win the game.[21]
In week 12 of the 2005 season, Leftwich was injured on the first play of the game and ruled out the rest of the regular season.[22] Garrard led the Jaguars on a 5–1 run through their final six games to secure a playoff berth. He threw for 1,117 yards, 4 touchdowns, 1 interception for an 83.9 quarterback rating, and his lone loss came against the then–undefeated Indianapolis Colts.[23] Leftwich then returned as the starter for the AFC Wild Card game, in which the Jaguars suffered a 28–3 loss to the New England Patriots.[24]
Garrard (far right, #9) with the Jaguars).
In 2006, Garrard was named the starter in Week 8 and replaced Leftwich for the remainder of the season.[25] Through his first seven games as starter, Garrard led Jacksonville to a 5–2 record, leading to speculation that the Jaguars might seek to replace Leftwich permanently with Garrard. He lost his final three starts however, and the Jaguars missed the playoffs.
Entering the 2007 season, Jack Del Rio attempted to avoid a quarterback controversy by naming Leftwich the team's unconditional starting quarterback. However, Garrard outplayed Leftwich in the preseason,[26] and Del Rio named him the starting quarterback on August 31, 2007.[27] The Jaguars released Leftwich the next day.[28]
In his first season as the team's starting quarterback, Garrard led the Jaguars to a 10–2 record and threw for 18 touchdowns and 2,509 yards in 12 games (he missed 3 games with a sprained ankle and sat out the season finale with the rest of their starters). He threw just three interceptions on the year, which gave him a quarterback rating of 102.2.
On January 5, 2008, In the AFC Wild Card, Garrard led his team to a 31–29 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Down 29–28 with 1:56 to go, he led his team in a field goal-scoring drive highlighted by a 32-yard run on 4th and 2 that eventually set up the game-winning field goal for the Jaguars.
On January 12, 2008, In the AFC Divisional Round, Garrard set franchise records with 22 completions and 278 yards, along with 2 touchdowns and 1 interception against the unbeaten New England Patriots. However, the Patriots won the game, 31–20.
On April 7, 2008, it was announced that the Jaguars and Garrard had agreed to a contract extension, worth $60 million for 6 years.[29]
Garrard played in all 16 games in both the 2008 and 2009 seasons, but the Jaguars only managed 5–11 and 7–9 records respectively. The team slumped behind multiple injuries to their offensive line, and new GM Gene Smith ushering in a "rebuilding era."
Garrard was named to the 2009 Pro Bowl, and finished the game with 183 yards and a touchdown in the AFC's win.[30] He followed up his Pro Bowl appearance throwing for 23 touchdowns, 2,734 yards, a quarterback rating of 91 and an 8–6 record in 14 games in the 2010 season. In week 8, he completed 17 of 21 passes for 260 yards (a franchise record 12.4 average), four touchdowns, zero interceptions, a franchise record 157.8 rating, and rushed for a fifth score in a 35–17 win over the Cowboys.[31][32]
Despite his Pro Bowl selection and a comeback year, Jacksonville drafted Missouri quarterback Blaine Gabbert with their first round draft pick. Though Del Rio insisted Garrard would remain the team's starting quarterback,[33][34] he was released by Jacksonville on September 6, 2011, less than a week before the start of the regular season.[35]
After his release from Jacksonville, Garrard received interest from the Colts, Dolphins and Raiders.[36] He instead decided to use his time off to have surgery on his herniated disk and prepare himself for the 2012 season.[37][38]
Miami Dolphins
On March 19, 2012, Garrard agreed to terms with the Miami Dolphins on a one-year contract,[39] and was assumed to be the team's starting quarterback for the year.[40] On August 11, Garrard had arthroscopic knee surgery and was ruled out of all four preseason games.[41] The Dolphins released Garrard on September 4, 2012.[42]
New York Jets
The New York Jets announced that they had signed a contract with Garrard on March 11, 2013.[43] Garrard announced his intention to retire on May 15, 2013, as consistent knee swelling impaired his ability to play.[44] The Jets placed Garrard on the reserve/retired list on May 30, 2013.[45]
After resting his knee, Garrard decided to make a comeback and the Jets agreed to allow Garrard to come back on October 10, 2013. He was placed on the exempt list for two weeks.[46] He was activated on October 21, 2013.[47]
Retirement
On May 8, 2015, Garrard signed a contract with the Jaguars to officially retire as a member of the team.[48]
Yards per attempt: playoffs (7.84),[54] playoff season (7.74 in 2007)[52]
Personal life
Garrard proposed to his wife Mary Knox before a 2002 Jaguars preseason game; the proposal was broadcast on the stadium's JumboTron. The couple was married in February 2003 and have three children.
Garrard suffers from Crohn's disease and has appeared in television commercials regarding treating the illness.[55] He has spoken to children at the Painted Turtle Camp, a camp for children with disorders about living with Crohn's disease.
Garrard has also appeared in a Zaxby's commercial. Garrard has also been the spokesman for 121 Financial Credit Union (formerly Florida Telco Credit Union) since 2007.
Garrard is a Christian. He spoke about his faith saying “ Having Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior gives me so much peace. It’s still tough. It’s still hard sometimes, but you always can count on the Lord to be there for you, to never leave you, to never forsake you.”[56]
Related Research Articles
Byron Antron Leftwich is an American former professional football quarterback and coach who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons. He played college football for the Marshall Thundering Herd, twice receiving MAC Most Valuable Player honors, and was selected seventh overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2003 NFL draft. Leftwich held a starting role with the Jaguars during his first four seasons and spent the remainder of his career as a backup for the Atlanta Falcons, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. With the Steelers, he was a member of the team that won Super Bowl XLIII.
Matthew Rutledge Schaub is an American former football quarterback who played for 17 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Virginia Cavaliers, and was selected by the Falcons in the third round with the 90th pick of the 2004 NFL draft.
Lucas Patrick McCown is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs and was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the fourth round of the 2004 NFL draft. He played in the NFL for the Browns, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Atlanta Falcons, and New Orleans Saints
Ryan Joseph Fitzpatrick is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons. Fitzpatrick started at quarterback for nine teams, the most in league history. He is also the only NFL player to have a passing touchdown with eight different teams.
Todd Matthew Bouman is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL). He was signed by the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 1997 after playing college football at St. Cloud State. Bouman was also a member of the New Orleans Saints, Green Bay Packers, Jacksonville Jaguars, St. Louis Rams and Baltimore Ravens.
Chad Steven Henne is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback for 15 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Michigan Wolverines, where he is the all-time leader in passing yards and touchdowns, with 9,715 yards and 87 touchdowns. He was selected by the Miami Dolphins in the second round of the 2008 NFL draft, and started multiple seasons over his NFL career, for both the Dolphins and Jacksonville Jaguars. He also won two Super Bowls with the Kansas City Chiefs, serving as the backup quarterback.
Trent Addison Edwards is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Stanford Cardinal and was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the third round of the 2007 NFL draft. As a rookie, Edwards took over the starting position after an injury to incumbent starter J. P. Losman, leading Buffalo to a 5–1 start in 2008 before injuries and declining play resulted in his own demotion and eventual release from the team in 2010.
The history of the Jacksonville Jaguars, an American football team in the National Football League (NFL), formally dates to November 30, 1993, when the NFL awarded Jacksonville, Florida the expansion franchise that became the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Jaguars, along with the Carolina Panthers, started play in the 1995 NFL season as expansion teams.
Tyrod Diallo Taylor is an American professional football quarterback for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Virginia Tech Hokies and was selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the sixth round of the 2011 NFL draft.
The 2009 season was the Buffalo Bills' 40th season in the National Football League (NFL) the 50th overall and the fourth and final under the head coach Dick Jauron.
Blaine Williamson Gabbert is an American professional football quarterback who is a free agent. He played college football at Missouri before leaving early for the 2011 NFL draft after his junior year. He was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the first round with the 10th overall pick. He has also played for the San Francisco 49ers, Arizona Cardinals, Tennessee Titans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Kansas City Chiefs. He won Super Bowl LV as a backup with the Buccaneers and Super Bowl LVIII as a backup with the Chiefs.
The 2010 season was the Buffalo Bills' 51st season in the National Football League (NFL), It was Buffalo's first season with Buddy Nix in the role of general manager and head coach Chan Gailey. The Bills hoped to improve on their 6–10 record from the 2009 season, and attempt to make the playoffs for the first time since 1999. The Bills had the 9th pick in the first round of the 2010 NFL draft selecting C. J. Spiller, a running back from Clemson. This season marks the first 0–8 start since 1984, in which they finished 2–14. They were eliminated from playoff contention in Week 12, extending their playoff drought to 11 seasons. Despite the poor start, Buffalo became largely competitive after the bye in Week 9.
Taylor Jonathan Yates is an American football coach and former player who is the quarterbacks coach for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He played professionally as a quarterback in the NFL. After playing college football for the North Carolina Tar Heels, Yates was selected by the Houston Texans in the fifth round of the 2011 NFL draft. He was also a member of the Atlanta Falcons, Miami Dolphins, and Buffalo Bills.
Michael Joseph Glennon is an American former professional football quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the NC State Wolfpack and was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the third round of the 2013 NFL draft. He was also a member of the Chicago Bears, Arizona Cardinals, Oakland Raiders, Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Giants, and Miami Dolphins.
The 2012 Miami Dolphins season was the franchise's 43rd season in the National Football League (NFL), and the 47th overall in the American Football Conference Eastern Division. The season concluded with the Dolphins finishing second in the AFC Eastern Division with a 7–9 record, and no postseason play for the fourth consecutive season.
Theodore Edmond Bridgewater Jr. is an American former professional football quarterback who played for 10 seasons in the National Football League (NFL).
Robby Blake Bortles is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons, primarily with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He played college football for the UCF Knights, where he received AAC Offensive Player of the Year honors as a junior and was MVP of the 2014 Fiesta Bowl. Bortles was selected by the Jaguars third overall in the 2014 NFL draft.
William Trevor Lawrence is an American professional football quarterback for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL). Considered among the highest-touted college football prospects, he won the 2019 National Championship Game as a freshman with the Clemson Tigers and set the school's record for quarterback wins. Selected first overall by the Jaguars in the 2021 NFL draft, Lawrence had a breakout season in 2022 when he led the Jaguars to their first division title and playoff win since 2017.
Gardner Flint Minshew II is an American professional football quarterback for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He began his college football career with the Northwest Mississippi Rangers, where he won the NJCAA National Football Championship, and played his next two years for the East Carolina Pirates. Minshew used his final year of eligibility with the Washington State Cougars, setting the Pac-12 Conference season records for passing yards and completions and winning the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award.
Michael McCorkle "Mac" Jones is an American professional football quarterback for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL). Jones played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide, where he set the NCAA season records for passer rating and completion percentage as a junior en route to winning the 2021 College Football Playoff National Championship. He was selected by the New England Patriots in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft.
↑ "Archived copy". nl.newsbank.com. Archived from the original on October 7, 2012. Retrieved January 15, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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.
