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Retire #9 — Garrard Has Earned It
(Editor's Note: The following is an excerpt from Denny O'Brien's
'Pirate Notebook' column
which ran on Bonesville's front page on November 21, 2001.)
By
Denny O'Brien
©2001 Bonesville.net
 When
senior quarterback David Garrard trots off the Bagwell Field turf following
the final gun of Friday's showdown with old nemesis Southern Miss, he will
do so as the most celebrated player in East Carolina football history.
Garrard will leave behind countless memories of late-game heroics and
dominant performances.
ECU fans will forever speak of the time the big, graceful, humble guy
from Durham found 'the zone' that few players ever reach — against a
ninth-ranked Miami powerhouse — and engineered a second half comeback
victory that will always be a part of Pirate football lore.
Against N.C. State in '99 and Texas Tech in last year's
galleryfurniture.com Bowl, Garrard put on two of the more dominant rushing
and passing performances in recent memory. Inside the pocket or out, he was
virtually unstoppable in two program-building wins over quality opponents.
When he leaves Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium on Friday, Garrard will take with
him virtually every meaningful passing record from a school that has
developed a reputation for producing top-notch quarterbacks, the last three
of which have landed on professional rosters.
With each game this season, Garrard has seemingly re-written a previous
mark, be it for career completions, yardage or touchdown passes. One by one,
the quarterback known by his teammates as "Buffet Killer" has erased them
all.
Even more impressive than his numbers is the manner in which he has
achieved them. While those before him benefited from the
quarterback-friendly "West Coast" system, the offense has seen major changes
with Garrard at the helm.
Garrard's bullish physique and deceptive quickness prompted offensive
coordinator Doug Martin to re-introduce the option in a big way, a strategy
which had been de-emphasized in the Pirates' package in recent years.
You'd be hard-pressed to find a quarterback that strikes more fear into a
would-be tackler than Garrard, whose brutish running style in the open field
garnered him the label "beer truck" from head coach Steve Logan.
In addition to the three-step, five-step, and seven-step drops, the
play-action has become an integral part of the passing attack during
Garrard's career. With phenomenal arm strength and Charmin-like touch,
Garrard throws as good a deep ball as any to wear the Pirate uniform,
rivaling even Jeff Blake, who is noted for having the best in the NFL game
today.
Unlike most quarterbacks who specialize in one or two skills, Garrard has
mastered a menu full of specialties — a menu which, under Logan and Martin,
has become as diverse as any in college football.
Short passes? Yep.
The intermediate throw? That's a check.
The long ball? Bombs away.
The option? Better strap on that headgear.
Though the accomplishments speak for themselves, records and victories
don't even begin to tell the story about Garrard's illustrious career, which
has taken an unlikely path to greatness.
Overcoming the death of his mother, Garrard spent the latter portion of
his high school days under the care of his siblings, who sacrificed a lot to
nurture his football career.
At 270-plus pounds, college recruiters were knocking down his door —
though most of them envisioned a tight end, a position in which this
overweight signal caller had no interest.
Logan was convinced, though, this "fat boy" could play quarterback.
But even the Pirates' ten-year head coach had his reservations at first.
One summer day during Logan's acclaimed football camp, Garrard was told
to join the offensive linemen. Then, one 80-yard chuck later, a
father-son-like relationship was born.
Equally impressive as David the quarterback is David the person.
Mild-mannered and soft-spoken, Garrard doesn't exude the 'It's all about
me!' attitude associated with many of today's prominent athletes.
While newspapers are often flooded with the off-the-field antics of
high-profile jocks, Garrard has maintained a squeaky-clean image. The one
time his name did grace the local papers for something other than football,
it was for a religious commitment, not for wrong-doing.
Be it on the field or off, Garrard has been as good a representative for
East Carolina University as any before him. His career will be marked with
greatness, his life highlighted by humility.
On Friday morning against conference rival Southern Miss, he will play
his final regular season game in that famed purple "#9".
"I just cherish every moment that I have with him right now," Logan said.
"I work with quarterbacks for a living, and he's extraordinary in every
way."
Even extraordinary enough, in my book, to have his jersey retired.
Currently, East Carolina has just four retired jerseys — Robert Farris
(#16), Norman Swindell (#18), James Speight (#29), and Roger Thrift ( #36) —
making the honor elite in status.
Garrard has more than earned his keep in that group with his on-the-field
play alone. But statistics don't tell the whole David Garrard story. And
it's hard to imagine another Pirate adequately filling his
double-extra-large #9.
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02/23/2007 01:41:33 AM
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