Sammy Garza
No. 10 | |
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Position: | Quarterback |
Personal information | |
Born: | Corpus Christi, Texas, U.S. | July 10, 1965
Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
Weight: | 184 lb (83 kg) |
Career information | |
High school: | Harlingen (TX) |
College: | UTEP |
NFL draft: | 1987 / Round: 8 / Pick: 216 |
Career history | |
As a player: | |
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* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |
As a coach: | |
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As an executive: | |
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Career highlights and awards | |
Career NFL statistics | |
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR |
Samuel Mayorga Garza Jr. (born July 10, 1965) is a former
Early years
Garza attended Harlingen High School. As a senior, he posted 85-of-160 completions (56 percent) for 1,650 yards, 17 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. He was a two-time All-district 32-5A selection.[1] He led his teams to a 30-10 record during his career, but never had a chance to participate in the playoffs because only one team could qualify at the time.
He was a two-time All-district selection in basketball. As a senior, he received All-district honors at baseball and was the district long jump champion.
College career
Garza accepted a football scholarship from
He regained the starter position at quarterback as a sophomore, passing for 899 yards, 4 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. As a sophomore, he compiled 1,654 yards, 6 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. As a senior, he had a record setting season, posting 258 completions, 62.9% completion percentage, 3,140 passing yards, 21 touchdowns and 19 interceptions.
He finished his college career as one of the most prolific passers in school history, ranking first in completions (483) and completion percentage (59.1%). He ranked second in attempts (817), passing yards (6,130) and touchdown passes (35).[3]
Professional career
After being selected by the
After the
In 1991, he was drafted in the second round by the
The brightest spot in Garza's career came in
Garza tore his ACL early in the 1994 season in Winnipeg, and spent the next 8 months recovering from that injury. In July 1995, he was traded to the Ottawa Rough Riders along with offensive lineman David Black, in exchange for quarterback Shawn Moore.[10] Even though he spent his time splitting the quarterback duties with Danny Barrett, he still managed to finish the season with 2,954 passing yards and 13 touchdowns. On May 25, 1996, he was signed by the Ottawa Rough Riders, but was released before the start of the season.[11]
Personal life
In 1996, he joined the
In 2000, he returned to UTEP as the quarterbacks coach. He was let go with the entire UTEP staff after the 2003 season. In 2004, he joined the Saskatchewan Roughriders as the quarterbacks and running backs coach.
In 2005, he was hired as a pro scout by the Dallas Cowboys. In 2008, he moved to the College Scouting Department, serving as the southwest area scout (2008-2009), west coast scout (2010-2011) and back to southwest scout in 2012.[12] He works with his brother in law Mike Murphy, son of Canadian Football Hall of Famer Cal Murphy.
References
- ^ "UTEP signs Harlingen quarterback". El Paso Times. March 8, 1983.
- ^ "Hawaii nudges UTEP". El Paso Times. October 30, 1983.
- ^ Kresal, Steve (September 10, 1987). "UTEP's Hegarty Replaces Another Local Hero". LA Times.
- ^ "1987 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
- ^ "Transactions". NY Times. August 24, 1988.
- ^ "Who's playing today and for whom". Lakeland Ledger. October 4, 1987.
- ^ "Transactions". NY Times. August 24, 1988.
- ^ "WLAF Draft List". The Orlando Sentinel. February 19, 1991.
- ^ "Rio Grande Valley Sports Hall of Fame bio". Rio Grande Valley Sports Hall of Fame. April 4, 2020.
- ^ "Football". The Vancouver Sun. August 8, 1995.
- ^ "Transactions". NY Times. May 26, 1996.
- ^ Flores, David (July 29, 2010). "From UTEP star to scouting Cowboys' next rising star". My San Antonio.