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From UTEP star to scouting Cowboys' next rising star
David Flores - Special to Conexión Web Posted: 07/29/2010 12:00 CDT
It seems like only a few years ago that Sam Garza was breaking passing records at Texas-El Paso after doing the same at Harlingen High School.
But time has a way of distorting our memory as we get older.
Actually, Garza completed his college football career at UTEP in 1986 and was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the eighth round of the NFL draft the following spring.
Twenty-four years after his senior season as a Miner, Garza is a scout for the Dallas Cowboys and has the distinction of being the only Hispanic in the franchise's player personnel department.
“I've been fortunate,” Garza said while in San Antonio for the Cowboys' training camp at the Alamodome. “Getting a job in the NFL is almost the same as when you're playing. You have to get a break and get your foot in the door. Then you have to take advantage of the opportunity by working hard.”
Garza has done that since joining the Cowboys as a pro scout in 2005. He scouted talent in the NFL, NFL Europe, Canadian Football League and Arena Football League before moving to the college scouting department three years later.
After working one season as a college scout in the Southwest, Garza was moved to the West Coast. He'll work that area again this year.
“It's been pretty good,” Garza said. “You're always going to miss coaching, but I enjoy what I do. Having been a coach has helped me in this job because I know what things to look for.”
Garza, who turned 45 on July 10, had two different stints as an assistant coach at UTEP and also was a member of the CFL Saskatchewan Rough Riders' coaching staff twice before getting hired by the Cowboys.
He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at UTEP in 1996 after playing six seasons in the CFL.
Cut by Seattle in the 1987 preseason, Garza signed with the St. Louis Cardinals as a replacement player during the NFL strike and stayed with the team for two seasons. He started his career in the CFL in 1989.
Garza retired after the 1996 season and returned to El Paso.
“I've been very fortunate,” Garza said. “Other Hispanics could do what I've done. I've been lucky.”
Garza is also modest. He's worked hard to get where he is, and young Hispanics everywhere could learn about perseverance from him.
The third of four children born to Sammy and Dahlia Garza, Garza visits his mother in Corpus Christi whenever his schedule allows. Sammy Garza, an All-State tight end and linebacker on Corpus Christi Miller's state semifinalist in 1958, died five years ago.
“I think a lot about him, especially when I'm on the road driving,” Sam said. “He always told me to give my best effort and get my degree.”
Garza's three sisters graduated from college and one of them, Dolores, is a coach at Harlingen South High School.
Garza chuckled when asked if he gets a lot of questions about the Cowboys from his family.
“They ask me but I try to keep a low profile whenever I go visit,” he said.
David Flores - Special to Conexión Web Posted: 07/29/2010 12:00 CDT
It seems like only a few years ago that Sam Garza was breaking passing records at Texas-El Paso after doing the same at Harlingen High School.
But time has a way of distorting our memory as we get older.
Actually, Garza completed his college football career at UTEP in 1986 and was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the eighth round of the NFL draft the following spring.
Twenty-four years after his senior season as a Miner, Garza is a scout for the Dallas Cowboys and has the distinction of being the only Hispanic in the franchise's player personnel department.
“I've been fortunate,” Garza said while in San Antonio for the Cowboys' training camp at the Alamodome. “Getting a job in the NFL is almost the same as when you're playing. You have to get a break and get your foot in the door. Then you have to take advantage of the opportunity by working hard.”
Garza has done that since joining the Cowboys as a pro scout in 2005. He scouted talent in the NFL, NFL Europe, Canadian Football League and Arena Football League before moving to the college scouting department three years later.
After working one season as a college scout in the Southwest, Garza was moved to the West Coast. He'll work that area again this year.
“It's been pretty good,” Garza said. “You're always going to miss coaching, but I enjoy what I do. Having been a coach has helped me in this job because I know what things to look for.”
Garza, who turned 45 on July 10, had two different stints as an assistant coach at UTEP and also was a member of the CFL Saskatchewan Rough Riders' coaching staff twice before getting hired by the Cowboys.
He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at UTEP in 1996 after playing six seasons in the CFL.
Cut by Seattle in the 1987 preseason, Garza signed with the St. Louis Cardinals as a replacement player during the NFL strike and stayed with the team for two seasons. He started his career in the CFL in 1989.
Garza retired after the 1996 season and returned to El Paso.
“I've been very fortunate,” Garza said. “Other Hispanics could do what I've done. I've been lucky.”
Garza is also modest. He's worked hard to get where he is, and young Hispanics everywhere could learn about perseverance from him.
The third of four children born to Sammy and Dahlia Garza, Garza visits his mother in Corpus Christi whenever his schedule allows. Sammy Garza, an All-State tight end and linebacker on Corpus Christi Miller's state semifinalist in 1958, died five years ago.
“I think a lot about him, especially when I'm on the road driving,” Sam said. “He always told me to give my best effort and get my degree.”
Garza's three sisters graduated from college and one of them, Dolores, is a coach at Harlingen South High School.
Garza chuckled when asked if he gets a lot of questions about the Cowboys from his family.
“They ask me but I try to keep a low profile whenever I go visit,” he said.