Michael Ray Garvin (born September 29, 1986) is an

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 with ...

wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

in 2009. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

Florida State Florida State University (FSU) is a public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher e ...

. Garvin has also been a member of the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...

and the

Las Vegas Locomotives The Las Vegas Locomotives (called the Locos for short) were a professional American football team based in Las Vegas, Nevada that played in the United Football League. The team played their home games at Sam Boyd Stadium, home field for the Unive ...

Early years

Hailing from

Upper Saddle River, New Jersey Upper Saddle River is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 8,208,Don Bosco Preparatory High School , motto_translation = To Increase in Knowledge and Grace , accreditation = Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools , rival = Bergen Catholic High SchoolSaint Joseph Regional High School , mascot = , ma ...

Ramsey, New Jersey Ramsey is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. It is a suburb of New York City, located northwest of Midtown Manhattan. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's popula ...

where he played

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

and ran

track Track or Tracks may refer to: Routes or imprints * Ancient trackway, any track or trail whose origin is lost in antiquity * Animal track, imprints left on surfaces that an animal walks across * Desire path, a line worn by people taking the shorte ...

. As a

junior Junior or Juniors may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * ''Junior'' (Junior Mance album), 1959 * ''Junior'' (Röyksopp album), 2009 * ''Junior'' (Kaki King album), 2010 * ''Junior'' (LaFontaines album), 2019 Films * ''Junior'' (1994 ...

, Garvin rushed for 615 yards on 32 carries for six touchdowns. As a

defensive back In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...

, he recorded 45

tackles Tackle may refer to: * In football: ** Tackle (football move), a play in various forms of football ** Tackle (gridiron football position), a position in American football and Canadian football ** Dump tackle, a forceful move in rugby of picking u ...

and four interceptions, two of which were returned for

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Ameri ...

s. As a

senior Senior (shortened as Sr.) means "the elder" in Latin and is often used as a suffix for the elder of two or more people in the same family with the same given name, usually a parent or grandparent. It may also refer to: * Senior (name), a surname ...

, he recorded 50 tackles and three interceptions. For his career, Garvin rushed for 1,600 yards and 34 total touchdowns. While at Don Bosco, Garvin played in the Army All-American game, was ranked the fifth best player in New Jersey by

Rivals.com Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting in the United States. The network was started in 1998 and employs more than 300 personnel. History Rivals.com was founded in 1998 by Jim Heckma ...

, he was also a four-star player, rated by Rivals.com and the 85th best player in the nation. He was rated the fourth best player in the state by ''Superprep Magazine'' and the 16th best defensive back in the nation. He was also an All-State first-team selection as a member of the school's track team.

College career

After graduating from Don Bosco in 2005, Garvin attended

Florida State University Florida State University (FSU) is a public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher education in the st ...

Football

As a true freshman in

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...

, Garvin appeared all 11 of the Seminoles games, recording 16 tackles, one sack, a forced

fumble A fumble in gridiron football occurs when a player who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed (tackled), scoring, or going out of bounds. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking, punting, or successful ...

and one pass break-up. He ranked first on the team, among true freshmen, with 12 solo tackles. As a sophomore in

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

, he appeared in all 13 games while earning starts against

NC State North Carolina State University (NC State) is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founded in 1887 and part of the University of North Carolina system, it is the largest university in the Carolinas. The university ...

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ran ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

, Wake Forest,

Western Michigan West Michigan and Western Michigan are terms for an arbitrary region in the U.S. state of Michigan's Lower Peninsula. Most narrowly it refers to the Grand Rapids-Muskegon-Holland, Michigan, Holland area, and more broadly to most of the region a ...

and

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

and finished sixth on the team with 35 tackles. On the season, he was one of two Seminoles who recorded a sack, tackle-for-loss, interception, pass-break-up and fumble recovery, the other being

Lawrence Timmons Lawrence Olajuwon Timmons (born May 14, 1986) is a former American football linebacker. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He would go on to win Super Bowl XLIII with the Steelers the following ...

. Garvin was also the team's leader in

kickoff return A kickoff is a method of starting a drive in gridiron football. Typically, a kickoff consists of one team – the "kicking team" – kicking the ball to the opposing team – the "receiving team". The receiving team is then entitled to ''return ...

s with 16 for 362 yards and ranked ninth in the

ACC ACC most often refers to: * Atlantic Coast Conference, an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic conference located in the US *American College of Cardiology, A US-based nonprofit medical association that bestows credentials upon cardiovascular spec ...

with a 22.6 yards-per-kick return average. As a junior in

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...

, Garvin started eight games and led the team's

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such offensive running plays as sweeps and reverses. They create tur ...

s in tackles with 49. As a senior in

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

, Garvin recorded 12 tackles on the season and became the only player in school history to average 30 yards or more per return in a season in 2008 with 30.1. He was also a ''

Sporting News The ''Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a pr ...

'' first-team All-American as a

kick returner A return specialist or kick returner is a player on the special teams unit of a gridiron football team who specializes in returning punts and kickoffs. There are few players who are exclusively return specialists; most also play another position ...

and was a third-team All-American by

SI.com ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twice ...

and Scout. He finished the season second in the nation in kick off returns and led the conference as well. He earned All-Acc second-team honors as a specialist. He was also the defensive special teams' player of the year, as voted by the team's coaching staff. He set the school record for career kickoff return yards (1,721), average yards-per-return (23.57) and tied Keith Ross for the all-time record for returns in a career with 73. Garvin's father, Johnny Ray Garvin, was his secondary position coach in high school and had a short stint in 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 ...

and

USFL The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football league that played for three seasons, 1983 through 1985. The league played a spring/summer schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be ...

. Garvin earned his

undergraduate degree An undergraduate degree (also called first degree or simply degree) is a colloquial term for an academic degree earned by a person who has completed undergraduate courses. In the United States, it is usually offered at an institution of higher e ...

social science Social science is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of societies and the relationships among individuals within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the field of sociology, the original "science of soc ...

in December 2008.

Track and field

While at

, Garvin was a seven-time All-American sprinter and a member of the winning

4 x 100 metres relay 4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures. In mathematics Four is the smallest c ...

in 2007 NCAA outdoors. He also attempted to make the United States Olympic track and field team in the spring of 2008, qualifying for the trials and making it to the semifinals of the

200 meters The 200 metres, or 200-meter dash, is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400 metre racetrack, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques is needed to successfully run the race. A slightl ...

2006

In indoor, he only competed at the ACC Championships. He ran a season-best of 6.85 seconds in the

60 meters 60 metres, or 60-meter dash, is a sprint event in track and field. It is a championship event for indoor championships, normally dominated by the best outdoor 100 metres runners. At outdoor venues it is a rare distance, at least for senior ath ...

prelims to tie teammate

Antone Smith Antone Smith (born September 17, 1985) is a former American football running back. He played high school football for Pahokee. Smith was considered an All American 5 star running back and was named Mr.Florida. He went on to play college footbal ...

for sixth. He advanced to the finals where he ran a time of 6.87 seconds and finished sixth. He also raced in the

where he placed 15th in the prelims with a time of 21.98 seconds. In outdoor, he captured his first All-America honors by taking eighth at the NCAA Championships in the

with a time of 21.05 seconds. He was member of the winning

team at the NCAA East Regionals that posted a time of 39.03 seconds. He advanced to the NCAA Championships by taking fourth in the

at the East Regional. He clocked a time of 20.75 seconds in the finals, the third-fastest time in the ACC. He earned All-ACC honors by placing third in the

100 meters The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contest ...

with a time of 10.58 seconds at the league championship. He also scored points at the ACC meet by taking fourth in the

, with a time of 21.39 seconds and running the second leg of the second-place

. He also ran a season-best time of 10.47 seconds twice in the preliminary race at the league championships and during the finals of the

at the Seminole Invitational.

2007

In indoor, he advanced to the NCAA Indoor Championships where he ran a 6.78 in the prelims of the

. He earned a pair of All-ACC honors with second-place finishes in the

and

at the conference championships. He ran a season-best time of 21.37 seconds in the finals of the

. Finished second with a time of 6.68 seconds in the finals of the

. Posted a season-best of 6.66 seconds to take third during the prelims of the

at the New Balance Invitational. That time was the fifth-fastest in the ACC. In outdoor, he was member of the winning

team at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, with a school and conference record time of 38.60 seconds, and of the

at the NCAA East Region that won the event with a regional record of 38.71 seconds. He earned All-America honors by taking third in the

at the national meet with a time of 10.30 seconds. He also posted a personal best time of 10.10 seconds in the prelims. He reached the semifinals of the

at the NCAA Championships with a time of 20.81 seconds. He took home fourth in the

at the East Regionals with a time of 20.70 seconds. He also had the fastest time in the prelims with a personal-best time of 20.58 seconds, that is the seventh-best in school history and third in the ACC last year. While at Florida State, Garvin was a seven-time All-American sprinter and a member of the winning 4x100 meter relay in 2007 NCAA outdoors. He also attempted to make the United States Olympic track and field team in the spring of 2008, qualifying for the trials and making it to the semifinals of the 200 meters.

Personal bests

Professional career

2009 Florida State's Pro Day

Arizona Cardinals

Garvin went unselected in the

2009 NFL draft The 2009 NFL Draft was the seventy-fourth annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, on April 25 and 26, 2009. T ...

and was signed by the

. While with the Cardinals he was converted from cornerback to wide receiver.

Detroit Lions

He was later signed to the

practice squad In sports, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, ...

during the 2009 season. Garvin was waived on April 26, 2010.

Las Vegas Locomotives

The

selected Garvin with their second round pick in the 2010 UFL Draft.

Winnipeg Blue Bombers

Garvin signed with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on March 28, 2014. He was released by the Blue Bombers on June 22, 2014.

External links

Arizona Cardinals bio

Detroit Lions bio

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Garvin, Michael Ray 1986 births Living people People from Upper Saddle River, New Jersey Players of American football from New Jersey American football return specialists American football cornerbacks American football wide receivers Don Bosco Preparatory High School alumni Florida State Seminoles football players Arizona Cardinals players Detroit Lions players Las Vegas Locomotives players Texas Revolution players