Charlie Garner III (born February 13, 1972) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player who was a

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Tennessee Volunteers The Tennessee Volunteers and Lady Volunteers are the 20 male and female varsity intercollegiate athletics programs that represent the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Volunteers compete in Division I of the National Colleg ...

. Garner was selected by the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...

in the second round of the

1994 NFL draft The 1994 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 24–25, 1994, at the Marriott Ma ...

. He also played in the NFL for the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team based in Oakland, California, from its founding in 1960 to 1981, and again from 1995 to 2019 before Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan ...

, and

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (colloquially known as the Bucs) are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC S ...

Early life

Garner grew up in

Falls Church, Virginia Falls Church City is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 14,658. Falls Church is ...

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 The University of Tennessee, Knoxville (or The University of Tennessee; UT; UT Knoxville; or colloquially UTK or Tennessee) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee, United St ...

and graduated with a business degree. He is notable for starting ahead of fellow NFL RB

James Stewart James Maitland Stewart (May 20, 1908 – July 2, 1997) was an American actor and military aviator. Known for his distinctive drawl and everyman screen persona, Stewart's film career spanned 80 films from 1935 to 1991. With the strong morali ...

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.

Professional career

Garner was drafted by the

in the second round (42nd overall) of the

. 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. In the 2002–03 season with the

, 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. The 91 receptions for 941 yards were the fifth and fourth most in NFL history by a running back, respectively. He also previously held the record for most rush yards in a game by a 49er (201) later broken by Frank Gore. 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

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

Personal life

In 2017, post football, doctors told Garner they believe he has

chronic traumatic encephalopathy Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a neurodegenerative disease linked to repeated trauma to the head. The encephalopathy symptoms can include behavioral problems, mood problems, and problems with thinking. The disease often gets wor ...

, which in recent years has become a plague for former NFL players. It can only be diagnosed post-mortem. "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."

NFL career statistics

References

External links

Tennessee Volunteers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Garner, Charlie 1972 births Living people Players of American football from Virginia American football running backs National Conference Pro Bowl players Oakland Raiders players Philadelphia Eagles players San Francisco 49ers players Tampa Bay Buccaneers players Tennessee Volunteers football players Sportspeople from Falls Church, Virginia Players of American football from Fairfax County, Virginia Scottsdale Fighting Artichokes football players 21st-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century American sportsmen