Antonio Garay

Antonio Garay Jr. (born November 30, 1979) is a former American football nose tackle. He was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the sixth round of the 2003 NFL Draft.[1] He played college football and wrestled at Boston College. He was a NCAA wrestling All-American his sophomore year, placing 4th at the NCAA Championships while at Boston College.

Antonio Garay
refer to caption
Antonio Garay signing autographs at New York Jets Mini Camp in Florham Park, NJ, on June 11, 2013.
No. 95, 90, 71
Position:Nose tackle
Personal information
Born: (1979-11-30) November 30, 1979
Rahway, New Jersey, U.S.
Height:6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:320 lb (145 kg)
Career information
High school:Rahway (Rahway, New Jersey)
College:Boston College
NFL Draft:2003 / Round: 6 / Pick: 195
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career NFL statistics
Tackles:138
Sacks:9.0
Player stats at NFL.com

Garay was also a member of the Chicago Bears, San Diego Chargers, and New York Jets.

He is notable for his outrageous hairstyles and for driving a Hello Kitty-themed smart car.[2]

Early years

Garay is Jewish.[3][4][5] Garay's mother is Jewish and his father is a Catholic of Jamaican, Costa Rican, and Puerto Rican descent.[4] He was exposed to both parents' faiths.[6][7] He attended Rahway High School in Rahway, New Jersey, and was a standout offensive and defensive lineman. He was also the NJSIAA 275 lb (125 kg). state and national wrestling champion in 1998 and a high school All-American, winning the National High School Wrestling Tournament in Pittsburgh in 1998.[8]

College career

He played college football and wrestled at Boston College. He was a NCAA wrestling All-American his sophomore year, placing 4th at the NCAA Championships while at Boston College in 2000. During the 2000 season, he was also named the Most Outstanding Wrestler at the East Coast Wrestling Association tournament (ECWA) for the second year.[8]

Professional career

Chicago Bears

Garay spent two seasons with the Chicago Bears and was a member of the 2006 NFC Championship team. In a December 2007 game against the Washington Redskins, Garay was injured by an illegal block. He was placed on injured reserve for the remainder of the 2007 season. On March 8, 2008, the Chicago Bears announced that they would part ways with the defensive tackle, and he became an unrestricted free agent on February 29, 2008.

New York Jets

On October 20, 2009, the New York Jets announced that they had signed Garay to their practice squad.

San Diego Chargers

Garay was signed off of the New York Jets' practice squad on December 9, 2009, by the San Diego Chargers. He was re-signed to a two-year deal on March 6, 2010. Garay was able to earn the starting job at nose tackle for the bulk of the 2010 season, and he finished 2010 with 48 tackles and 5.5 sacks, leading all San Diego defensive linemen in both categories.

Second stint with the Jets

Garay was signed by the New York Jets on March 15, 2013.[9] He was released on August 31, 2013.[10]

See also

References
  1. "2003 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
  2. "Antonio Garay: The nose tackle who drives a Hello Kitty smart car". Yahoo Sports.
  3. "2011 NFL Football Preview". Jewish Sports Review. 8 (87): 6–7. September–October 2011.
  4. "San Diego Chargers: Antonio Garay". Archived from the original on December 29, 2010. Retrieved 2011-05-11.
  5. Jewish Sports Review, September/October 2010, Vol. 7, Issue 81
  6. Carew, Chrissy (April 15, 2020). "Antonio Garay". Insightful Player.
  7. Chris Jenkins. "Comeback by Chargers' Garay wasn't kids' play". U-T San Diego.
  8. "The Heights, Volume LXXXI, Number 009 — 28 March 2000 — Boston College Newspapers". newspapers.bc.edu.
  9. Orr, Conor (March 15, 2013). "Jets sign former Chargers nose tackle Antonio Garay". The Star-Ledger. Archived from the original on March 21, 2013. Retrieved March 15, 2013.
  10. Lange, Randy (August 31, 2013). "Jets Move 22, Get Down to 53-Man Active Roster". New York Jets. Archived from the original on September 3, 2013. Retrieved 1 September 2013.
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