David Garrard

David Douglas Garrard (born February 14, 1978) is a former American professional football quarterback who played nine NFL seasons, mostly for the Jacksonville Jaguars. He played college ball at East Carolina University and was picked by Jacksonville in the fourth round of the 2002 draft. Garrard took over as the Jaguars' starting quarterback in 2007, guiding the team to its first playoff victory since 1999. He was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2009. After being released by Jacksonville, he spent one season as a backup with the New York Jets.

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. He later founded the David Garrard Foundation to promote breast cancer awareness and research. He attended Southern High School in Durham, where he was named an All-America choice by Prep Stars and rated the top high school quarterback in North Carolina. Local veteran coaches said he had one of the strongest arms they had ever seen, comparing him to former NFL quarterback and fellow North Carolinian Roman Gabriel.

At East Carolina University, Garrard played for the Pirates. Though he was larger than most quarterbacks at over 240 pounds, he was unusually mobile. Former head coach Steve Logan said tackling Garrard felt like "getting hit by a beer truck." Garrard was durable, starting every game for the Pirates in the 1999, 2000, and 2001 seasons.

In his sophomore year, Garrard led ECU to a 9–3 record, with wins over West Virginia, South Carolina, Miami, and North Carolina State. In the fourth game, against 13th-ranked Miami, the Pirates rallied from a 20–3 deficit to win 27–23. Garrard threw a 27-yard touchdown pass to Keith Stokes for the go-ahead score in the final minutes. The game was moved to Carter–Finley Stadium in Raleigh because Hurricane Floyd had devastated eastern North Carolina the previous week, and the storm also stranded the team in Columbia, South Carolina, after a road win over South Carolina. The victory put ECU into the AP Top 25, where they stayed for eleven weeks, climbing as high as 16th. They finished the regular season ranked 20th but dropped out of the top 25 after a 28–14 loss to TCU and LaDainian Tomlinson in the 1999 Mobile Alabama Bowl.

In his junior season, ECU went 8–4. Garrard ended the year with a standout performance in the Galleryfurniture.com Bowl, throwing an improbable touchdown and running for another acrobatic score in a 40–27 win over Texas Tech. His senior season started with high hopes but ended in disappointment. Though the Pirates averaged over 35 points per game in 2001, they finished 6–6.

The final game of Garrard’s college career was against Marshall and its quarterback, Byron Leftwich, in the 2001 GMAC Bowl. Leftwich and Garrard would later become teammates on the Jaguars and compete for the starting job. In what was then the highest-scoring bowl game in college football history, Leftwich led Marshall back from a 30-point deficit to beat ECU 64–61 in double overtime. Garrard set 28 school passing and offensive records at East Carolina and joined a select group of quarterbacks with more than 9,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards in their college careers. He graduated in 2001 with a degree in Construction Management.

The Jaguars selected Garrard in the fourth round (108th overall) of the 2002 draft. Head coach Tom Coughlin saw him as the eventual successor to starter Mark Brunell, but Coughlin was fired after the 2002 season. The team then drafted Byron Leftwich with the seventh overall pick in 2003. Leftwich replaced an injured Brunell midway through 2003, and Garrard remained the backup.

In January 2004, Garrard was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. He underwent treatment and had surgery in June to remove nearly 12 inches of his intestine, but was healthy for the start of the 2004 season. His only start that year came in Week 9 against Detroit when Leftwich was injured; he threw two touchdowns with no interceptions, including the game-winner in overtime.

In Week 12 of the 2005 season, Leftwich was injured on the first play and ruled out for the regular season. Garrard led the Jaguars to a 5–1 record over the final six games, securing a playoff berth. He threw for 1,117 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 1 interception, with an 83.9 quarterback rating. His only loss came against the undefeated Indianapolis Colts. Leftwich returned as starter for the AFC Wild Card game, which the Jaguars lost 28–3 to the New England Patriots.

In 2006, Garrard was named the starter in Week 8 and replaced Leftwich for the rest of the season. Over his first seven starts, he led Jacksonville to a 5–2 record.