Charlie Garner

Charlie Garner
No. 25, 30
Position:Running back
Personal information
Born: (1972-02-13) February 13, 1972 (age 52)
Falls Church, Virginia, U.S.
Height:5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight:190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
High school:Stuart (Falls Church)
College:Tennessee
NFL draft:1994 / round: 2 / pick: 42
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Rushing attempts:1,537
Rushing yards:7,097
Rushing touchdowns:39
Receptions:419
Receiving yards:3,711
Receiving touchdowns:12
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Charlie Garner III (born February 13, 1972) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Tennessee Volunteers. Garner was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the second round of the 1994 NFL draft. He also played in the NFL the San Francisco 49ers, Oakland Raiders, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Early life

Garner grew up in Falls Church, Virginia and attended J.E.B. Stuart High School (now known as Justice High School). His senior year, he was selected first-team All-Metropolitan (Northern Virginia, Suburban Maryland and the District of Columbia), first-team All-State, and named Virginia's player of the year after rushing for more than 2,000 yards and 38 touchdowns.

On October 16, 2009, Garner had his JEB Stuart High School number 30 jersey retired during a halftime ceremony.

College career

In 1991, Garner set junior college records for rushing yards in a game (430) and yards in two consecutive games (765) at Scottsdale (Ariz.) Community College. Garner then transferred to the University of Tennessee and graduated with a business degree.[1] He is notable for starting ahead of fellow NFL RB James Stewart at Tennessee.

  • 1992: 154 carries for 928 yards with 2 TD. 5 catches for 25 yards.
  • 1993: 159 carries for 1161 yards with 8 TD. 12 catches for 81 yards.[2]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span
5 ft 9+1⁄8 in
(1.76 m) 		182 lb
(83 kg) 		31+1⁄2 in
(0.80 m) 		9+3⁄4 in
(0.25 m)

Garner was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the second round of the 1994 NFL draft.[3]

He was a multi-talented running back and an excellent receiver. In Week 6 of the 1995 season, he had nine carries for 120 yards and three touchdowns in the win over Washington.[4] In the 2002–03 season with the Oakland Raiders, he was the team's leading rusher with 962 yards and seven touchdowns, while also leading all NFL running backs in receiving with 91 receptions for 941 yards and another four touchdowns.[5][6] The 91 receptions for 941 yards were the fifth and fourth most in NFL history by a running back, respectively.[7] He also previously held the record for most rush yards in a game by a 49er (201) later broken by Frank Gore.[8] The crossed forearm symbol he displayed after scoring was a tribute to his neighborhood of Bailey's Crossroads, Virginia.

In August 2005, Garner was released by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after suffering a knee injury the previous season. During his career, he rushed 1,537 times for 7,097 yards scoring 39 touchdowns, caught 419 passes for 3,711 yards and 12 touchdowns.[9]

During his career, Garner was nicknamed "IO," which stood for "Instant Offense," because he excelled at both rushing and receiving.[10]

Personal life

In 2017, post-football, Doctors have told Garner they believe he has chronic traumatic encephalopathy, which in recent years has become a plague for former NFL players. It can only be diagnosed post-mortem.[11]

"I don't have all my faculties anymore," Garner said. "I can't remember things. When I go to the mall or grocery store, I have to take one of my kids with me to remember where the car is parked. I have trouble remembering conversations I had five minutes ago. Bright lights bother me. I just don't feel right all the time."[11]

NFL career statistics

Year Team GP Rushing Receiving Fumbles
Att Yds Avg Lng TD FD Rec Yds Avg Lng TD FD Fum Lost
1994 PHI 10 109 399 3.7 28 3 24 8 74 9.3 28 0 3 3 2
1995 PHI 15 108 588 5.4 55 6 25 10 61 6.1 29 0 4 2 1
1996 PHI 15 66 346 5.2 46 1 16 14 92 6.6 13 0 4 1 1
1997 PHI 16 116 547 4.7 26 3 31 24 225 9.4 27 0 9 1 1
1998 PHI 10 96 381 4.0 40 4 18 19 110 5.8 21 0 5 1 1
1999 SF 16 241 1,229 5.1 53 4 51 56 535 9.6 53 2 22 3 1
2000 SF 16 258 1,142 4.4 42 7 53 68 647 9.5 62 3 28 4 3
2001 OAK 16 211 839 4.0 38 1 31 72 578 8.0 27 2 28 2 2
2002 OAK 16 182 962 5.3 36 7 47 91 941 10.3 69 4 44 0 0
2003 OAK 14 120 553 4.6 33 3 27 48 386 8.0 46 1 15 1 0
2004 TB 3 30 111 3.7 25 0 3 9 62 6.9 31 0 1 0 0
Career 147 1,537 7,097 4.6 55 39 326 419 3,711 8.9 69 12 163 18 12

References

  1. ^ "Catching Up: Charlie Garner". University of Tennessee Athletics. October 7, 2011. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  2. ^ "Charlie Garner College Stats, School, Draft, Gamelog, Splits". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  3. ^ "1994 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  4. ^ "Washington Redskins at Philadelphia Eagles - October 8th, 1995". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  5. ^ "Charlie Garner 2002 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  6. ^ "2002 NFL Receiving". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  7. ^ Mayer, Larry (July 10, 2013). "Peete following in his father's footsteps". Chicago Bears. Archived from the original on July 15, 2013. Retrieved July 11, 2013.
  8. ^ "San Francisco 49ers at Dallas Cowboys - September 24th, 2000". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  9. ^ "Charlie Garner Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  10. ^ "Kenyan Drake: Gruden's new Charlie Garner". Las Vegas Chronicle. August 19, 2021. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  11. ^ a b Yasinskas, Pat (April 4, 2017). "Charlie Garner's post-football life ruled by fear as his brain fails him". Sporting News. Retrieved March 16, 2024.