Roberto Garza
Garza with the Chicago Bears in 2008
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| No. 63 | |||||||||
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| Position: | Center / Guard | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Date of birth: | March 26, 1979 | ||||||||
| Place of birth: | Rio Hondo, Texas | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 310 lb (141 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Rio Hondo (TX) | ||||||||
| College: | Texas A&M–Kingsville | ||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 2001 / Round: 4 / Pick: 99 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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| Games Played: | 206 |
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| Games Started: | 176 |
| Fumbles Recovered: | 3 |
| Player stats at NFL.com | |
Roberto Garza (born March 26, 1979) is a former American football center. He was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in fourth round (99th overall) of the 2001 NFL Draft, and in 2005, joined the Chicago Bears, spending ten seasons with the team.
Garza attended Rio Hondo High School in Rio Hondo, Texas and was a letterman in football and track and field. He was also a member the school's National Honor Society.
The son of immigrants from Mexico, Garza was encouraged to join the Marines after high school. A Marine recruiter interested in Garza ridiculed his desire to play professional football, allegedly stating that, "Mexicans do not play in the NFL". Roberto was not discouraged, and worked toward his goal by being encouraged by his younger cousin Payton Garza. He ended up playing for the Texas A&M University-Kingsville Javelinas as a "walk-on". In addition to playing football, Roberto worked to pay for school. Garza's hometown of Rio Hondo, Texas established December 2 as "Roberto Garza, Jr. Day", and subsequently named a street after him. He is fluent in Spanish.
He was originally selected by the Atlanta Falcons with the 99th overall pick of 2001 NFL Draft from Texas A&M University-Kingsville. Garza played with the Falcons up until the 2004 season when his contract was up. He signed a one-year contract with the Chicago Bears in 2005, and he signed a six-year contract extension in 2006. In that season, the Bears reached a 39–14 victory over the New Orleans Saints, which allowed them to claim the NFC Championship and advance to Super Bowl XLI. However, they fell short of the championship, losing 29–17 to the Indianapolis Colts. Among the almost 1,700 National Football League players in the 2006 season, Garza was one of only 19 Hispanics. Garza became a free agent after the 2013 season, but was resigned to a 1-year contract on February 27, 2014.
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