Aaron Garcia (born October 28, 1970) is a former professional

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

who played 19 seasons in the

Arena Football League The Arena Football League (AFL) was a professional arena football league in the United States. It was founded in 1986, but played its first official games in the 1987 season, making it the third longest-running professional football league in ...

(AFL), from 1995 to 2014. He played college football at

Washington State University Washington State University (Washington State, WSU, or informally Wazzu) is a public land-grant research university with its flagship, and oldest, campus in Pullman, Washington. Founded in 1890, WSU is also one of the oldest land-grant uni ...

before transferring to

California State University, Sacramento California State University, Sacramento (CSUS, Sacramento State, or informally Sac State) is a public university in Sacramento, California. Founded in 1947 as Sacramento State College, it is the eleventh oldest school in the 23-campus California ...

. After retiring from the AFL, Garcia was named the head coach of the Las Vegas Outlaws in September 2014, and was formally introduced as the head coach of the Outlaws on October 11, 2014. Garcia is married to Bryn Garcia and has five children, Gigi, Bella, Anthony, Christian, and Jaxon. Born in

Sacramento, California ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

, Garcia attended high school in Sacramento at Grant Union High School. After graduation from high school in 1988, Garcia enrolled at

and played quarterback for the Cougars, starting for two seasons. He transferred to

in 1992, where he started for two seasons. After going undrafted in the 1995 NFL Draft, Garcia was encouraged to try playing in the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

(CFL) or the AFL to gain more scouting exposure for an opportunity at the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL). He signed with the Arizona Rattlers and became their starting quarterback in 1995. In his career, Garcia has also played for the Connecticut Coyotes,

New Jersey Red Dogs The Cleveland Gladiators were an arena football team based in Cleveland, Ohio, United States, and members of the Arena Football League (AFL). The Gladiators played their home games at Quicken Loans Arena, which they shared with the Cleveland Cava ...

Iowa Barnstormers The Iowa Barnstormers are a professional indoor football team based in Des Moines, Iowa. They are currently members of the Indoor Football League (IFL). They play their home games at Wells Fargo Arena, known in indoor football circles as "The ...

New York Dragons The New York Dragons were a professional arena football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Dragons participated in the Arena Football League's (AFL) National Conference as a member of the Eastern Division. The team was founded i ...

Jacksonville Sharks The Jacksonville Sharks are a professional indoor football team based in Jacksonville, Florida, playing their home games at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. Beginning in 2017, the Sharks began play as charter members of the National Arena Leag ...

San Antonio Talons The San Antonio Talons were a professional arena football team based in San Antonio, Texas. They played in the Arena Football League (AFL). Their home arena was the Alamodome, following their relocation to San Antonio for the 2012 season. The t ...

San Jose SaberCats The San Jose SaberCats were a professional arena football team based in San Jose, California. The SaberCats had been members of the Arena Football League (AFL) since 1995 (the year in which the team was founded); and until 2015, they belonged to ...

Orlando Predators The Orlando Predators were a professional arena football team based in Orlando, Florida and member of the Arena Football League (AFL). The team was most recently owned by Orlando Predators LLC, a company owned by David A. Siegel, and played its ...

and Los Angeles KISS. Garcia would go on to set AFL records for passing yards, passing touchdowns and interceptions during his 19-year career, winning

ArenaBowl XXIV ArenaBowl XXIV was the 24th edition of the championship in the Arena Football League (AFL). The American Conference champion, Jacksonville Sharks, defeated the National Conference champion, Arizona Rattlers, 73–70. It was played on August 12, ...

while a member of the Sharks. Garcia was also a two-time Arena Football League Offensive Player of the Year Award recipient, in 2001 and 2011.

High school career

Garcia attended Grant Union High School where he played

high school football High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, part ...

, and basketball with his father as

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

, where he broke John Elway’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

Garcia went to

in 1988, and started as a

redshirt Redshirt, Red Shirt, or Redshirts may refer to: Entertainment * ''Red Shirts'' (film), a 1952 film about Anita Garibaldi by Franco Rossi * Redshirt (stock character), originally derived from ''Star Trek'', a stock character who dies soon after ...

freshman in 1989, 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 starter. In 1990, a mid-season quarterback controversy erupted when second-year coach Mike Price benched veterans Gossen and Garcia in favor of true-freshman

Drew Bledsoe Drew McQueen Bledsoe (born February 14, 1972) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons, primarily with the New England Patriots. He played college football at Washington State, whe ...

. After Bledsoe's emergence at Washington State in 1990, Garcia transferred to

Sacramento State California State University, Sacramento (CSUS, Sacramento State, or informally Sac State) is a public university in Sacramento, California. Founded in 1947 as Sacramento State College, it is the eleventh oldest school in the 23-campus California ...

Division I-AA The NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), formerly known as Division I-AA, is the second-highest level of college football in the United States, after the Football Bowl Subdivision. Sponsored by the National Collegiate Athleti ...

and finished his college football career as the starter there, throwing for 1,796 yards and 13 touchdowns in his senior season.

College career statistics

Professional career

Arizona Rattlers

Following his college career, Garcia turned to

Arena Football Indoor American football, or arena football, is a variation of gridiron football played at ice hockey-sized indoor arenas. While varying in details from league to league, the rules of indoor football are designed to allow for play in a smaller ...

. He played for the Arizona Rattlers in 1995.

Connecticut Coyotes

Garcia was traded to the Connecticut Coyotes during the 1996 season.

New Jersey Red Dogs

Garcia would change teams again in 1997, playing for the

Iowa Barnstomers/New York Dragons

Garcia played for the Red Dogs for a year and a half before joining the

during the 1998 season. Garcia finally settled down in Iowa, and found his greatest success when the Barnstormers became the

in 2001. In the 2001 season, Garcia threw a league record 104 touchdown passes, but this was passed by

Clint Dolezel Clint Dolezel (born March 25, 1970) is an American football coach and former professional arena football player in the Arena Football League (AFL). Dolezel was a quarterback in the AFL before becoming the head coach of the AFL's Philadelphia So ...

in 2006.

San Francisco 49ers

Garcia briefly left the AFL in 2002, when he was signed by the NFL's

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...

. He was released after minicamp in June and returned to the Dragons, who finished 3–11 that year.

Return to the Dragons

On February 26, 2006, Garcia suffered a fractured

tibia The tibia (; ), also known as the shinbone or shankbone, is the larger, stronger, and anterior (frontal) of the two bones in the leg below the knee in vertebrates (the other being the fibula, behind and to the outside of the tibia); it connects ...

and

fibula The fibula or calf bone is a leg bone on the lateral side of the tibia, to 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. Its upper extremity i ...

, ending his season. He was replaced by Juston Wood and later Nick Browder. At the time of the injury, Garcia had thrown more touchdown passes than any pro quarterback, however, Andy Kelly 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 Bonner Sherdrick Deon "Sed" Bonner (born October 19, 1968) is a former American football quarterback who played fifteen seasons in the Arena Football League (AFL). High school years Bonner attended Azusa High School in Azusa, California and was a stude ...

, and Kelly. In 2008, Garcia led the Dragons to the playoffs despite finishing the season with an 8-8 record. In the first round playoff game, Garcia and the Dragons defeated a heavily favored

Dallas Desperados The Dallas Desperados were a professional arena football team based in Dallas, Texas. The Desperados played in the Eastern Division of the Arena Football League from 2002 to 2008. The franchise began play in as an expansion team, and have post ...

team who finished the year at 12-4. Garcia and Dolezel squared off at quarterback against each other, and Garcia out dueled Dolezel throwing nine touchdown passes to Dolezel's seven. The following week, New York lost on the final play of the game to the

Philadelphia Soul Philadelphia soul, sometimes called Philly soul, the Philadelphia sound, Phillysound, or The Sound of Philadelphia TSOP, is a genre of late 1960s–1970s soul music characterized by funk influences and lush instrumental arrangements, often featu ...

, who would go on to win

ArenaBowl XXII ArenaBowl XXII was played on July 27, 2008 at New Orleans Arena in New Orleans, Louisiana (the host of ArenaBowl XXI). It was the 22nd and final championship game in the history of the original Arena Football League. This was the fourth neutral s ...

Jacksonville Sharks

The

suspended operations in 2009. On January 21, 2010, Garcia signed with the expansion

when the

reformed in 2010. On May 1, 2010, Garcia threw his 900th touchdown pass to Sale' Key in a 62-60 win over the

Tulsa Talons Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with ...

. On June 5, 2010, Garcia became the all-time leader in passing touchdowns in Arena Football history, with 932 touchdown passes thrown. On April 30, 2011, Garcia connected with Jeron Harvey for his 1,000th career touchdown pass.

went on to beat in-state rival

76-55. On July 22, 2011, Garcia became the first AFL quarterback to cross the 50,000 yard milestone in a 75-56 victory over the

Spokane Shock The Spokane Shock were a professional indoor American football team based in Spokane, Washington, that played their home games at the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena. The team was initially a member of arenafootball2 (af2), the Shock won divisio ...

. On August 12, 2011, with two seconds remaining in the 4th quarter, Garcia threw the winning touchdown pass as time expired in

to win his first Arena Bowl title for the Jacksonville Sharks.

San Antonio Talons

On September 27, 2011, Garcia was officially announced as the first player to sign with the relocated

franchise. On March 29, 2012, Garcia was strip sacked on the six yard line but was able to recover the ball and go into the end zone for a fumble recovery score in a 47-34 road victory over the Orlando Predators. Garcia lead the Talons to a 14-4 record, and a Central Division Championship. With the top seed in the National Conference, the Talons were upset 35-34 by the

Utah Blaze The Utah Blaze was a professional arena football team based in Salt Lake City, Utah and competed in the West Division of the Arena Football League. Home games were played at the EnergySolutions Arena. In 2013, the team did not submit proper ...

after Garcia was sacked on 4th and goal with 2:50 remaining in the game. After the 2012 season, the Talons offered a contract to Garcia, but Garcia decided to sign elsewhere.

San Jose SaberCats

On November 8, 2012, Garcia signed with the

San Jose Sabercats The San Jose SaberCats were a professional arena football team based in San Jose, California. The SaberCats had been members of the Arena Football League (AFL) since 1995 (the year in which the team was founded); and until 2015, they belonged to ...

. On April 22, 2013, after a slow start to the 2013 season (98 for 159, 24 TD's and 13 INT's) the SaberCats announced that they have been assigned former Chicago Rush quarterback Russ Michna on a two-year contract. The SaberCats then placed Garcia on recallable reassignment to make room on the 24-man roster.

Orlando Predators

On April 25, 2013, Garcia was traded, along with Devin Clark, to the

in exchange for

Amarri Jackson Amarri Nathaniel Jackson (born May 18, 1985) is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. Early life Jackson attended Riverview High School, in Sarasota, Florida, where he earned four varsity letters in football, three ...

Return to Jacksonville

On February 8, 2014, Garcia was traded back to Jacksonville for Bernard Morris, Matt Marcorelle and Trevis Turner. Garcia started one game for the Sharks, while refusing to report for most of the season.

Los Angeles KISS

On May 12, 2014, Garcia was traded to the Los Angeles KISS for

J. J. Raterink Jason J. Raterink (born August 4, 1981) is an American football coach and former quarterback, who is the current Quarterbacks Coach at the University of Northern Colorado. He played college football at Wyoming Cowboys football, Wyoming. He went ...

Career statistics

Coaching career

Garcia was named head coach of the Las Vegas Outlaws of the AFL in September 2014. The Outlaws folded in August 2015.

Coaching record

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Garcia, Aaron 1970 births Living people Players of American football from Sacramento, California American football quarterbacks Washington State Cougars football players Sacramento State Hornets football players Arizona Rattlers players Connecticut Coyotes players New Jersey Red Dogs players Iowa Barnstormers players New York Dragons players San Francisco 49ers players Jacksonville Sharks players San Antonio Talons players San Jose SaberCats players Orlando Predators players Los Angeles Kiss players Arena Football League coaches American sportspeople of Mexican descent Orlando Rage players Los Angeles Kiss coaches