David Garrard is arguably one of the finest professional athletes to come out of East Carolina University. After earning the starting position for the Pirates mid-way through the ’98 season, Garrard showed his talent by earning a 9-3 record in the ’99 season with stellar wins against Miami, West Virginia, South Carolina and NCSU. He went on to play every game for the rest of career at East Carolina. In his final game for the Pirates, Garrard went up against Byron Leftwich (the guy who he had to play behind for a few seasons in J-ville until the coaches finally got their heads out of their asses) and the Thundering Herd. Garrard and the Pirates gave up a thirty-point lead and lost to Marshall 61-64 in a double-overtime GMAC bowl game.
David Garrard’s life has not been easy by any means. He grew up in Durham, NC and played ball for Southern High School. When he was fourteen-years-old, he lost his mother to breast cancer. I cannot imagine how that would have affected his life… much less, his play on the field but Garrard was able to push on. He was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the fourth round of the 2002 NFL Draft after his tremendous success in Greenville. Upon entering the NFL, Garrard set up The David Garrard Foundation to promote breast cancer awareness and research in memory of his mother.
In 2004, Garrard was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease and had a 12-inch portion of his intestines removed. He continued playing after the surgery and was able to show his talents again when Leftwich went down with an injury in 2005. Garrard led the Jaguars to finish the remaining part of the regular season with a 4-1 record and took them to the playoffs.
Garrard played well but he didn’t officially land the starting spot for Jacksonville until 2007 when he dominated during the preseason and the Jaguars’ head coach, Jack del Rio, named him the starting quarterback over Leftwich. He finished up the ’07 season with 18 passing touchdowns and 2,509 yds despite missing three games with a sprained ankle. Garrad’s quarterback rating at the end of the season was 102.2 after tying an NFL record for the least interceptions thrown in a season.
The Key to the City
On June 20, 2009, Mayor Bill Bell of Durham, NC presented David Garrard with a key to the city for his incredible representation of the city of Durham and for pretty much just being a genuinely good guy.
“David represents the caliber of man that deserves a key to our great city,” said Durham Mayor Bell. “Through this summer camp and his foundation, David will raise the awareness of Crohn’s disease and will educate Durham children and adults on the ways that they can live healthier, happier lives.”
This summer will mark the first annual ‘The David Garrard Air It Out Football and Cheer Camp’ that will be taking place at Garrard’s former high school in Durham, NC. The camp provids youth from 6 to 17 years old with the fundamentals of football and cheerleading. The camps also promoted physical activity and teaches campers on the importance of teamwork, education, health and nutrition. The city of Durham could not have thought of a better person to give a one of their keys to.
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