One Husky won’t give up

SEATTLE – Juan Garcia took a big gamble to get back on the field for his final football season as a Husky.

The sixth-year senior center from Yakima was told last spring that the Lisfranc injury he suffered to his left foot in April would likely require surgery, keeping him out for most if not all of this season. Determined to play one more season for Washington, however, Garcia went against the recommendation of his doctors and decided to see if the injury might heal on its own.

To the surprise of everyone, including Garcia, he was back for Washington’s first game against Oregon, ahead of even the most optimistic projections, and has played nearly every snap at center since.

All have come in losses, however, many embarrassing blowouts. Instead of leaving UW on a high note, Garcia will finish out his college career on one of the worst teams in Huskies history. Even so, Garcia said he has no regrets about battling to come back and be a part of this team.

“No, not at all,” he said. “There were times early on kind of, but if I would have got the surgery, it would have been killing me being like, ‘Man, I wish I was out there.’ I’m glad I’m out here with these guys and losing with them instead of just watching it happen. It’s kind of tough, but hey, I don’t care man, I got to wear the uniform one last time.

“I don’t know if people understand how much I appreciate this university. This university has been great to me. I don’t care what the score is or how the season goes, I got a lot out of this university, and it took care of me and has given me an opportunity for the rest of my life that I would have never gotten if I hadn’t come here.”

Garcia has always been one of the most passionate members of the Washington football team, which is why, for most of this season, he has turned down interview requests for fear he might say something he shouldn’t. But as Garcia enters the final third of his final season, he has decided to take a different approach to the season, and part of that, it appears, will involve him being more open.

“I told my guys before the SC game that all season I’ve been fighting demons,” he said. “That I’m not sure if I’m the same guy, that my foot is not good, I’m out of shape, this and that, and I’ve just been fighting it and fighting it and fighting it and not enjoying it, and after a game I feel even worse. … Like I said, I can sit there and cry about it, moan about it and do all that stuff, and it’s not going to change a thing. Or I can just switch it around and let it go and just enjoy whatever happens and just go out there and have fun.”

Garcia has not, until recently, felt like he was the same player who was an All-Pac-10 second-team honoree last season. But as his foot has continued to heal and his confidence and conditioning has improved, so too has his play on the field.

“In my opinion, he played probably as good a football game as he has all year,” offensive line coach Mike Denbrock said of Garcia’s play against USC.

Denbrock also praised the way Garcia, who came to Washington as a partial academic qualifier and missed two full seasons to injury, is handling another tough situation.

“One thing about Juan that I’ve always appreciated is his ability to just overcome every obstacle that’s ever been put in his way,” Denbrock said. “It’s unfortunate that he has to go through it, but he’s continued to be the type of leader that we need him to be. He’s continued to fight and continued to improve, and I don’t think you can ask any more of a guy.”

Garcia thinks the players have been more of a problem than the coaches, and isn’t happy to see Tyrone Willingham lose his job.

But like his coach, Garcia plans to finish the season and make the best of a bad situation.