It’s cold; it’s rainy and I’m sure Pierre Garcon could think of a thousand other things to do on his day off than an interview.
As I adjust my “stripey” dress slacks, I survey the 6-foot Indianapolis Colts wide receiver’s comfy jeans and T-shirt, hoodie combo. I’m instantly jealous. Not only does he get to go back home after my interrogation, but I would much rather be in a pair of jeans than work attire.
On a day like that, I’m almost positive he’d prefer to be in his hometown of West Palm Beach, Fla., the origin of his love affair with football. He had a hankering for the game early on, but couldn’t fathom it would lead him to the NFL.
“Football is big in Florida – that was the thing to do. I realized I was actually good at football when I was a senior in high school. I kept at it and got better,” said Garcon.
In a house full of women (Garcon’s father passed away when he was five-years-old) there was no one there to teach the American born Haitian the game. But that didn’t stop him from striving to be the best.
Without a scholarship, Garcon attended Norwich University in Vermont and after a year, transferred to Mount Union College. Neither are football meccas, yet Garcon made it work. With good teammates and coaches around, Garcon used his time to improve his skill and most importantly, win games.
“On the college level, (Pierre) was a special talent. There’s not too many guys who can go through the Division 3 ranks and have his ability,” said Jason Candle, a former Mount Union College coach.
Although Garcon had to temporarily forego college, he was deemed worthy by the Football gods to make it into the NFL. He states it was a long, hard journey.
“I had to drop out of school to work out and attend training camp. It was a lot of interviews and visits with different teams. You never know who’s scouting you,” said Garcon. “When I was drafted to the Colts, it was a great feeling.”
As a 2008 sixth round, 39th pick rookie, No. 85 was drafted into football royalty – Peyton Manning, Dallas Clark, Dwight Freeney, the list goes on. Although he had daily anxiety about being cut from the team, he learned the plays and appeared in 14 games.
“(Manning) goes to a play and within a nanosecond, you’d better know what to do,” said Colts coach Jim Caldwell in a previous interview.
Indianapolis was a good fit because Garcon has talent. Reggie Wayne even gives him advice. Don’t think being out on the field with football legends has made Garcon into one of those jerk jocks everyone loves to hate. He’s a very humble guy with his eye on the prize – a Super Bowl ring.
With the Colts current stats (at Recorder press time, they were 7-0), socks and jerseys are unwashed and fingers are crossed that the Colts finish their season unblemished and with major bling at the end.
Maybe that’s why Garcon’s focus on the field has made him a fan favorite – people love this guy. Who can forget his breakout game at Miami where he turned a short pass into a touchdown run. The man clearly has speed. This year his average is 17.1 yards per catch including a 53-yard reception.
While Dallas Clark and Austin Collie give the Colts a pair of excellent possession receivers, Garcon’s has given the Colts a second deep threat option opposite Reggie Wayne.
If all things point upward, it seems as if the man who’s responsible for making plays will be in the NFL for a long time.
“Sometimes it’s a lot of pressure, but once you’re used to making it happen, you get used to it,” said Garcon.
On the field Garcon is a beast and dedicated to his craft yet off the field, he’s a normal, laid back guy who fits well into the Colts “man of character” culture. He’s also finishing his college degree in Communications at Mount Union College.
