BOCA RATON, Fla. — Former NFL wide receiver Pierre Garcon has become a big Toledo Rockets fan this week for the Boca Raton Bowl.
The South Florida native was at practice watching the midnight blue and gold get ready for their game against Liberty because of his relationship with Toledo head coach Jason Candle.
While Garcon was a player at Mount Union, Candle was the wide receivers coach for the Purple Raiders. The two have kept a close relationship ever since.
“It was very important. Always support one of us, Purple Raiders always stick together,” said Garcon. “Happy that they got the opportunity to come to Boca. I tried to get him to move down to South Florida. I’m just happy whenever his team is doing well, and his team is winning.”
“I had the fortune to coach him when I was a 23-24 year old assistant coach at a Division-III school,” said Candle. “He’s a great representation all the youth of what could be here in Palm Beach County. I’m a fan of guys that do it the right way. He’s certainly a guy that did it the right way. He’s a guy that’s a tremendous human being first and foremost. We have a great relationship and it’s going to be cool to see him at practice tomorrow and be around our guys because it’s our responsibility as coaches to put people in front of our players that are what success looks like and I think he is what success looks like.”
Garcon is from nearby Greenacres, Florida. He’s one of those incredible stories as a kid from Palm Beach County who went to play at a Division III college in Ohio and then went on to play in the NFL for 11 years.
For Toledo defensive back Andre Fuller, having Garcon around the team has been really special. Fuller also grew up in South Florida and looked up to Garcon, having attended his youth camp as a kid.
“When I was a little kid going to his camps, it showed that anyone can do it,” said Fuller. “D-III, D-II, D-I, as long as you work hard you can do it. No matter where you go, as long as you work hard, you’re going to get to where you want to be at.”
After practice on Sunday, the entire team went over to a local bowling alley for some fun and team bonding. Monday, there will be a luncheon for Toledo and Liberty in West Palm Beach. The teams will then get together for the Boca Raton Bowl on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN.