SAN JOSE—Gilroy’s Jeff Garcia is among four South Bay legends who will be inducted in the San Jose Sports Hall of Fame this year.
Garcia, along with Olympic medalist John Carlos, legendary swim coach Chris Carver and Olympian Manuel “Mani” Hernandez will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on Nov. 9 at the SAP Center in San Jose.
Garcia was selected to this year’s class following standout careers in both the NFL and CFL. He started in the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers in 1999 and played in the league until retiring in 2011. During that time, Garcia made four Pro Bowl appearances and led three different teams—49ers, Eagles and Buccaneers—to the playoffs. He tallied 161 touchdowns and 25,537 total passing yards. He is one of only 10 quarterbacks in NFL history to record back-to-back seasons of 30 or more passing touchdowns.
A Hall of Fame induction is nothing new for Garcia. He is already enshrined at the San Jose State University Sports Hall of Fame, the Calgary Stampeders Wall of Fame and the California Community College Sports Hall of Fame.
Garcia’s career started at Gilroy High where he played football and basketball. He played his first year of college football at Gavilan College and was coached by his father, Bobby Garcia, before transferring to San Jose State.
The Garlic Capital QB was a three-year starter for the Spartans and remains among the school’s all-time top-10 rankings in nearly every major passing category. He was named the Most Outstanding Player of the 1994 East-West Shrine All-Star Game his senior year.
From there, Garcia played in the CFL with the Calgary Stampeders from 1994-1998.
He led the team to a Grey Cup championship in his final season and was given MVP honors. He was a four-time CFL All-Star and was named the Western Division’s MVP in 1997.
Garcia is currently an Offensive Assistant Coach with the St. Louis Rams.
Each inductee will have a bronze plaque permanently installed on the concourse at the SAP Center. The ceremony kicks off with a reception followed by dinner and an induction ceremony. Individual tickets begin at $250 each; sponsorship and table packages are available starting at $3,000. For more information and to purchase tickets, call (408) 288-2936.
