Tampa Bay Buccaneer Jeff Garcia was born on February 24 , 1970 in Gilroy , California . Garcia ’ s father was born to Mexican immigrants , and his mother was of Irish heritage .

Jeff grew up in the largely Hispanic town of Gilroy , just 80 minutes outside of San Francisco . He was injured in his senior year of high school and wound up playing football for his father , Bob , at Gavilan College before transferring to San Jose State .

Jeff was un-drafted by the NFL and wound up playing five years in the Canadian Football League for the Calgary Stampeders , leading them to a Grey Cup victory in 1998 . The 49ers ’ Bill Walsh invited him for a tryout and signed him to a deal that eventually led to three trips to the Pro Bowl , overcoming comparisons to quarterback icons such as Joe Montana and Steve Young .

Much of what shaped Garcia ’ s survival instincts occurred when he was very young and from having survived the many tragedies his family endured . Before he was born , Garcia ’ s mother , Linda , had twin girls that died after being born two months premature and his younger brother , Jason , drowned on a family camping trip in 1977 . Fourteen months later , his younger sister , Kimberly , died after falling out of a truck .

Jeff is married to Carmella , who is of Puerto Rican and Italian heritage , the couple has one daughter , Presley that was born on April 28 , 2008 .

In addition to a long , successful career in football , this extremely generous NFL star and his beautiful wife have huge hearts , establishing the Garcia Pass It On Foundation with a mission to share resources with people in less fortunate circumstances . The Foundation ’ s Web Site is www . GarciaPassItOn . com .

Jeff also provides charitable groups with tickets to all Buccaneers ’ home games through Amigos de Garcia , a game-day ticket program , and accompanied 20 middle school students from the Florida Institute of Community Studies ’ Multicultural Family Center to MOSI ’ s “ SHIPWRECK ! Pirates & Treasure ” exhibit in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month in September 2007 .

Jeff serves as spokesman and leader for the Hispanic Scholarship Fund , and is an active participant with the NFL International , promoting the game of football in Mexico and overseas . Known as an extremely accurate quarterback with the athletic ability to make plays on the run , he is an experienced signal caller in the West Coast Offense . Selected to his fourth Pro Bowl in 2007 , Jeff demonstrates poise and tremendous leadership ability in the huddle , rallying his team to victory on 11 occasions when his team was tied or trailed at the end of the third quarter .

Entering his second season with the Buccaneers after joining the team as a free agent on March 3 , 2007 , in his first season as a Buccaneer , Jeff set team records for lowest interception percentage ( 1.2 ), most consecutive completions in a single game ( 18 , at Detroit , 10 / 21 / 07 ) and most consecutive attempts without an interception ( 197 ). Jeff was also the recipient of the team ’ s 2007 Ed Block Courage Award , guiding the Buccaneers to the NFC South title in 2007 .

2008 Season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers : So far , Jeff has played in only one game with one start ( at New Orleans ) and has completed 24-of-41 pass attempts for 221 yards , one touchdown and one interception . Starting as quarterback at New Orleans ( 9 / 7 ), Jeff completed 24-of-41 pass attempts for 221 yards , one touchdown and one interception , and completed passes to seven different receivers .

Jeff is currently inactive because of injuries , as the third quarterback at Chicago ( 9 / 21 ), but his fans are hoping that he will soon be our starting quarterback again !

2008 Tampa Bay Buccaneer Home Schedule Sun , 10 / 12 / 2008 @ 1:00 PM Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Carolina Panthers Raymond James Stadium Sun , 10 / 19 / 2008 @ 8:15 PM Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Seattle Seahawks Raymond James Stadium Sun , 11 / 16 / 2008 @ 1:00 PM Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ vs Minnesota Vikings Raymond James Stadium Sun , 11 / 30 / 2008 @ 1:00 PM Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs New Orleans Saints Raymond James Stadium Sun , 12 / 21 / 2008 @ 8:15 PM Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs San Diego Chargers Raymond James Stadium Sun , 12 / 28 / 2008 @ 1:00 PM Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Oakland Raiders Raymond James Stadium

LATIN TIMES MAGAZINE Vol 7 No 4 | Page 21

Jeff Garcia

Tampa Bay Buccaneer Jeff Garcia was born on February 24 , 1970 in Gilroy , California . Garcia ’ s father was born to Mexican immigrants , and his mother was of Irish heritage .