Aaron Garcia (born October 20, 1970 in
Sacramento, CaliforniaSacramento is the capital of the U.S. state of California, and the county seat of Sacramento County. Located along the Sacramento River and just south of the American River's confluence in California's expansive Central Valley. With a 2007 estimated population of 460,242, it is the seventh-largest...
) is a
quarterbackQuarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the center, in the middle of the offensive line. Quarterbacks are the leaders of the offensive team, responsible for calling the play in the huddle...
for the
New York DragonsThe New York Dragons are an Arena Football League team who were formed in as the Iowa Barnstormers. In , the team relocated to New York. They currently play in the Eastern Division of the National Conference...
of the
Arena Football LeagueThe Arena Football League was founded in 1987 as an indoor American football by Jim Foster. It was played indoors on a smaller field than American football, resulting in a faster-paced and higher-scoring game...
. He played
college footballCollege football is American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies. It was the venue through which American football first gained popularity in the United States...
at
Sacramento StateCalifornia State University, Sacramento is a public university located in the city of Sacramento, California. It is part of the California State University system...
. He was originally signed by the
Arizona RattlersThe Arizona Rattlers are a charter member of Arena Football 1, based in Phoenix, Arizona, that began play as a 1992 expansion team in the Arena Football League. They were most recently coached by Kevin Guy before the league indefinitely ceased operations in 2009.-History:The team began play in 1992...
.
In his career, Garcia has also played for the
Connecticut CoyotesThe Connecticut Coyotes were a franchise in the Arena Football League.-History:They competed in the 1995 and 1996 AFL seasons. They played their home games at the Hartford Civic Center....
, New Jersey Red Dogs, and Iowa Barnstormers.
Garcia attended Grant Union High School where he played
high school footballHigh school football, referring to the American code in the United States and the Canadian code in Canada, is one of the most popular interscholastic sports at high schools in both countries...
, with his father as
coachIn sports, a coach or manager is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.- Staff :...
, where he broke
John ElwayJohn Albert Elway, Jr. is a retired American football quarterback. He played his college football at Stanford and his entire professional career for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League ....
’s California state high school passing, yardage and touchdown records with a two-year prep total of 5,800 yards and 57 touchdown passes.
He went to
Washington State UniversityWashington State University is a public research university based in Pullman, Washington, in the Palouse region of the Pacific Northwest. Founded in 1890, WSU is the state's original and largest land-grant university and confers bachelor's, master's, professional and doctoral degrees, and offers...
in 1989, and started as a
redshirtRedshirt is a term used in American college athletics that refers to delaying or suspending an athlete's participation in order to lengthen his or her period of eligibility...
freshman, contributing 1,591 yards and 11 touchdown passes, leading the Pac-10 in passing efficiency that year.
Aaron Garcia (born October 20, 1970 in
Sacramento, CaliforniaSacramento is the capital of the U.S. state of California, and the county seat of Sacramento County. Located along the Sacramento River and just south of the American River's confluence in California's expansive Central Valley. With a 2007 estimated population of 460,242, it is the seventh-largest...
) is a
quarterbackQuarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the center, in the middle of the offensive line. Quarterbacks are the leaders of the offensive team, responsible for calling the play in the huddle...
for the
New York DragonsThe New York Dragons are an Arena Football League team who were formed in as the Iowa Barnstormers. In , the team relocated to New York. They currently play in the Eastern Division of the National Conference...
of the
Arena Football LeagueThe Arena Football League was founded in 1987 as an indoor American football by Jim Foster. It was played indoors on a smaller field than American football, resulting in a faster-paced and higher-scoring game...
. He played
college footballCollege football is American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies. It was the venue through which American football first gained popularity in the United States...
at
Sacramento StateCalifornia State University, Sacramento is a public university located in the city of Sacramento, California. It is part of the California State University system...
. He was originally signed by the
Arizona RattlersThe Arizona Rattlers are a charter member of Arena Football 1, based in Phoenix, Arizona, that began play as a 1992 expansion team in the Arena Football League. They were most recently coached by Kevin Guy before the league indefinitely ceased operations in 2009.-History:The team began play in 1992...
.
In his career, Garcia has also played for the
Connecticut CoyotesThe Connecticut Coyotes were a franchise in the Arena Football League.-History:They competed in the 1995 and 1996 AFL seasons. They played their home games at the Hartford Civic Center....
, New Jersey Red Dogs, and Iowa Barnstormers.
High school career
Garcia attended Grant Union High School where he played
high school footballHigh school football, referring to the American code in the United States and the Canadian code in Canada, is one of the most popular interscholastic sports at high schools in both countries...
, with his father as
coachIn sports, a coach or manager is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.- Staff :...
, where he broke
John ElwayJohn Albert Elway, Jr. is a retired American football quarterback. He played his college football at Stanford and his entire professional career for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League ....
’s California state high school passing, yardage and touchdown records with a two-year prep total of 5,800 yards and 57 touchdown passes.
College career
He went to
Washington State UniversityWashington State University is a public research university based in Pullman, Washington, in the Palouse region of the Pacific Northwest. Founded in 1890, WSU is the state's original and largest land-grant university and confers bachelor's, master's, professional and doctoral degrees, and offers...
in 1989, and started as a
redshirtRedshirt is a term used in American college athletics that refers to delaying or suspending an athlete's participation in order to lengthen his or her period of eligibility...
freshman, contributing 1,591 yards and 11 touchdown passes, leading the Pac-10 in passing efficiency that year. During that year, quarterbacking duties also were shared by junior Brad Gossen, who threw for 1,372 yards and nine touchdowns in an injury shortened season, prior to Garcia being named the
starterA starting lineup in sports is an official list of the set of players who will actively participate in the event when the game begins. The players in the starting lineup are commonly referred to as starters, whereas the others are substitutes or bench players.The starters are commonly the best...
. In 1990, a mid-season quarterback controversy erupted when second-year coach
Mike PriceMike Price is a college football coach, currently the head coach at the University of Texas at El Paso . He formerly coached at Washington State University, Weber State University, and the University of Alabama, where he was fired before coaching a game.-Early years:Price grew up in Everett,...
benched veterans Gossen and Garcia in favor of true-freshman
Drew BledsoeDrew McQueen Bledsoe is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League, best known as the starting quarterback for the New England Patriots from 1993-2001. During the 1990s and early 2000s, he was perceived to be the face of the Patriots franchise...
.
After Bledsoe's emergence at Washington State in 1990, Garcia transferred to Division I-AA
Sacramento StateCalifornia State University, Sacramento is a public university located in the city of Sacramento, California. It is part of the California State University system...
and finished his
college footballCollege football is American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies. It was the venue through which American football first gained popularity in the United States...
career as the starter there, throwing for 1,798 yards and 13 touchdowns in his senior season.
Professional career
Following his college career, he turned to
Arena FootballArena football is a sport based upon American football. It is a proprietary game played indoors on a smaller field than American football, resulting in a faster and higher-scoring game. The sport was invented in 1986, and patented in 1990, by James F. Foster, a former executive of the United States...
. He played for the
Arizona RattlersThe Arizona Rattlers are a charter member of Arena Football 1, based in Phoenix, Arizona, that began play as a 1992 expansion team in the Arena Football League. They were most recently coached by Kevin Guy before the league indefinitely ceased operations in 2009.-History:The team began play in 1992...
in 1995, and then moved on to the
Connecticut CoyotesThe Connecticut Coyotes were a franchise in the Arena Football League.-History:They competed in the 1995 and 1996 AFL seasons. They played their home games at the Hartford Civic Center....
in 1996. He would change teams again in 1997, playing for the New Jersey Red Dogs. He played for the Red Dogs for a year and a half before joining the
Iowa BarnstormersThe New York Dragons are an Arena Football League team who were formed in as the Iowa Barnstormers. In , the team relocated to New York. They currently play in the Eastern Division of the National Conference...
during the 1998 season. Garcia finally settled down in Iowa, and found his greatest success when the Barnstormers became the
New York DragonsThe New York Dragons are an Arena Football League team who were formed in as the Iowa Barnstormers. In , the team relocated to New York. They currently play in the Eastern Division of the National Conference...
in 2001. In the 2001 season, Garcia threw a league record 104 touchdown passes, but this was passed by
Clint DolezelClint Dolezel is an Arena Football Head Coach for the San Angelo Stampede Express. He was originally signed by the Milwaukee Mustangs. He played college football at East Texas State....
in 2006.
Garcia briefly left the AFL in 2002, when he was signed by the
NFLThe National Football League is the largest professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing its name to the National Football League in 1922. The league currently consists of...
's
San Francisco 49ersThe San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team. The team plays its home games in San Francisco, California, while the club's headquarters and practice facility are located in Santa Clara...
. He was released in the summer, and returned to the Dragons, who finished 3-11 that year.
On February 26, 2006, Garcia suffered a fractured
tibiaThe tibia, shinbone, or shankbone is the larger and stronger of the two bones in the leg below the knee in vertebrates and connects the knee with the ankle bones.The tibia is named for the greek aulos flute, also known as a tibia.-In humans:...
and
fibulaThe fibula or calf bone is a bone located on the lateral side of the tibia, with which it is connected above and below. It is the smaller of the two bones, and, in proportion to its length, the most slender of all the long bones...
, ending his season. He was replaced by Juston Wood and later
Nick BrowderNick Browder is an Arena Football League quarterback who played for the Buffalo Destroyers , the Grand Rapids Rampage , the Detroit Fury , and the Philadelphia Soul before signing with his 2006 team, the New York Dragons. In 2007, he signed with the Dallas Desperados as the backup to Clint Dolezel...
. At the time of the injury, Garcia had thrown more touchdown passes than any pro quarterback, however,
Andy KellyAndy Kelly is a former American football quarterback in the Arena Football League. He played in the AFL for fourteen seasons, and currently is the Offensive Coordinator for the Georgia Force.- High school career :...
and Clint Dolezel moved ahead of Garcia while he was injured.
On June 2, 2007, Garcia became the fourth quarterback in AFL history to throw 800 touchdowns, joining Dolezel,
Sherdrick BonnerSherdrick Bonner is an Arena football quarterback who is currently a free agent in the Arena Football League.-High school years:...
, and Kelly.
Career Stats
| Year | Team | Comp | ATT | % | YDS | TD | INT | QB Rat. |
|---|
1995The 1995 Arena Football League season was the 9th season of the Arena Football League. The league champions were the Tampa Bay Storm, who defeated the Orlando Predators in ArenaBowl IX. The AFL re-aligned its divisions for the 3rd straight year. It re-aligned to two divisions per conference...
|
Arizona Rattlers The Arizona Rattlers are a charter member of Arena Football 1, based in Phoenix, Arizona, that began play as a 1992 expansion team in the Arena Football League. They were most recently coached by Kevin Guy before the league indefinitely ceased operations in 2009.-History:The team began play in 1992...
|
175 |
284 |
61.62 |
2,416 |
43 |
8 |
115.0 |
1996The 1996 Arena Football League season was the 10th season of the Arena Football League. The league champions were the Tampa Bay Storm, who defeated the Iowa Barnstormers in ArenaBowl X. The AFL finally stabilized its scheduled number of games. It expanded to a 14-game season, which would remain...
|
Connecticut Coyotes The Connecticut Coyotes were a franchise in the Arena Football League.-History:They competed in the 1995 and 1996 AFL seasons. They played their home games at the Hartford Civic Center....
|
136 |
271 |
50.18 |
1,779 |
31 |
4 |
93.7 |
1997The 1997 Arena Football League season was the 11th season of the Arena Football League. The league champions were the Arizona Rattlers, who defeated the Iowa Barnstormers in ArenaBowl XI.-Standings:* Green indicates clinched playoff berth...
|
New Jersey Red Dogs |
76 |
138 |
55.1 |
950 |
16 |
7 |
84.5 |
1998The 1998 Arena Football League season was the 12th season of the Arena Football League. The league champions were the Orlando Predators, who defeated the Tampa Bay Storm in ArenaBowl XII.-Standings:* Green indicates clinched playoff berth...
|
New Jersey Red Dogs |
91 |
140 |
65.00 |
1,158 |
18 |
5 |
108.0 |
1998The 1998 Arena Football League season was the 12th season of the Arena Football League. The league champions were the Orlando Predators, who defeated the Tampa Bay Storm in ArenaBowl XII.-Standings:* Green indicates clinched playoff berth...
|
Iowa Barnstormers |
200 |
343 |
58.31 |
2,457 |
43 |
9 |
100.9 |
1999The 1999 Arena Football League season was the 13th season of the Arena Football League. The league champions were the Albany Firebirds, who defeated the Orlando Predators in ArenaBowl XIII.-Standings:* Green indicates clinched playoff berth...
|
Iowa Barnstormers |
283 |
468 |
60.47 |
3,815 |
68 |
15 |
109.4 |
2000The 2000 Arena Football League season was the 14th season of the Arena Football League. The league champions were the Orlando Predators, who defeated the Nashville Kats in ArenaBowl XIV.-Standings:* Green indicates clinched playoff berth...
|
Iowa Barnstormers |
270 |
466 |
57.94 |
4,026 |
92 |
8 |
118.8 |
2001The 2001 Arena Football League season was the 15th season of the Arena Football League. The league champions were the Grand Rapids Rampage, who defeated the Nashville Kats in ArenaBowl XV.-Standings:* Green indicates clinched playoff berth...
|
New York Dragons The New York Dragons are an Arena Football League team who were formed in as the Iowa Barnstormers. In , the team relocated to New York. They currently play in the Eastern Division of the National Conference...
|
368 |
529 |
69.57 |
4,515 |
104 |
16 |
122.6 |
2002The 2002 Arena Football League season was the 16th season of the Arena Football League. The league champions were the San Jose SaberCats, who defeated the Arizona Rattlers in ArenaBowl XVI.-Standings:* Green indicates clinched playoff berth...
|
New York Dragons |
112 |
188 |
59.57 |
1,390 |
29 |
9 |
101.2 |
2003The 2003 Arena Football League season was the 17th season of the Arena Football League. The league champions were the Tampa Bay Storm, who defeated the Arizona Rattlers in ArenaBowl XVII. The AFL expanded its season to a 16-game schedule...
|
New York Dragons |
329 |
513 |
64.13 |
4,279 |
100 |
10 |
121.7 |
2004The 2004 Arena Football League season was the 18th season of the Arena Football League. The league champions were the San Jose SaberCats, who defeated the Arizona Rattlers in ArenaBowl XVIII...
|
New York Dragons |
279 |
459 |
60.78 |
3,797 |
91 |
13 |
115.0 |
2005The 2005 Arena Football League season was the 19th season of the Arena Football League. The league champions were the Colorado Crush, who defeated the Georgia Force in ArenaBowl XIX. The AFL changed its playoff format to allow the top four teams per conference to make the playoffs. Previously, the...
|
New York Dragons |
345 |
516 |
66.86 |
4,112 |
90 |
13 |
120.1 |
2006The 2006 Arena Football League season was the 20th season of the Arena Football League. The league champions were the Chicago Rush, who defeated the Orlando Predators in ArenaBowl XX....
|
New York Dragons |
121 |
157 |
77.07 |
1,417 |
32 |
4 |
132.9 |
| 2007 The 2007 New York Dragons season was the 12th season for the franchise. They look to make the playoffs again after finishing 2006 with an 10-6 record...
|
New York Dragons |
149 |
227 |
65.6 |
1,724 |
46 |
4 |
120.7 |
| 2008 The 2008 New York Dragons season is the 14th season for the franchise, their eighth season in New York. The Dragons finished the regular season with an 8-8 record, and were able to take the 6th and final playoff seed in the National Conference by virtue of winning a tiebreaker scenario over the New...
|
New York Dragons |
336 |
500 |
67.2 |
3,533 |
78 |
9 |
119.03 |
| Career | 3,271 | 5,199 | 62.9 | 41,368 | 881 | 134 | 116.5 |
|---|
External links