ST. LOUIS—Jeff Garcia is back in the National Football League.
The Gilroy native announced Tuesday that he joined the St. Louis Rams staff as an offensive assistant.
“Thought you all should know where I’ve been hanging out lately. Blessed to part of the @nfl @STLouisRams #RamTough,” Garcia said via Twitter (@JeffGarciaJGFA) with the Rams logo attached.
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Words of support poured in from around the Twittersphere, including from Garcia’s old stomping grounds: Gavilan College.
“#OnceARamAlwaysARam congrats #RamFamily alum @JeffGarciaJGFA for joining the St. Louis staff,” Gavilan head football coach Mike Dovenberg (@CoachDovey) tweeted.
Garcia, who has contemplated coaching for quite some time, interviewed for the quarterback coach job with the Rams in February, only to finish runner-up. It’s suspected, however, that Garcia will work with QB Nick Foles, who St. Louis acquired from Philadelphia in the offseason.
This is the second coaching gig for Garcia, who joined the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League in August 2014.
After four years in the CFL, Garcia played for 11 years in the NFL. He started in 1999 just up the road with the San Francisco 49ers. He reached the playoffs twice during his five-year stint with the team, which included staging the 49ers second largest comeback victory over the New York Giants on Jan. 5, 2003. San Francisco trailed 38-14 with 18 minutes left and scored 25 unanswered points to notch a 39-38 victory.
He was named to the Pro Bowl three times with the 49ers in 2000, 2001 and 2002, and again with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2007.
The Gilroy High alum also played for the Cleveland Browns (2004), Detroit Lions (2005), Philadelphia Eagles (2006 and 2009), Buccaneers (2007-2008), Oakland Raiders (2009), the UFL’s Omaha Nighthawks (2010) and Houston Texans (2011.) Garcia racked up 43,300 yards and threw for 281 touchdowns over his professional career.
