Former South Carolina quarterback Stephen Garcia, who excelled during the early years of Steve Spurrier’s tenure at the Southeastern Conference school, revealed on Wednesday that he had been diagnosed with Stage 4 colorectal cancer.
Garcia, 38, addressed his diagnosis in a social media post.
“I wasn’t overly excited to share this news, but it is what it is,” Garcia wrote on Facebook. “We have a great team of doctors and staff who are confident we can beat this. That’s the only option.
“If there’s one lesson to be learned, get checked and don’t be afraid to visit the doctor’s office when you don’t feel 100%.”
Garcia, who was born in the Tampa suburb of Lutz, was a standout quarterback at Jefferson High School. According to The Tampa Tribune, he set Hillsborough County records for passing yards (8,081) and touchdown passes (83).
Garcia led the Dragons to a berth in the Class 3A state finals in 2004 as a sophomore.
At South Carolina, Garcia blossomed during his sophomore season, throwing for 17 touchdowns and led the SEC with 239 completions while throwing for 2,862 yards.
In 2010, Garcia and the Gamecocks began their season 3-0 before losing to Auburn. But then South Carolina stunned top-ranked Alabama 35–21, Sports Illustrated reported. In that game, Garcia completed 17 of 20 passes for 201 yards and three touchdowns, according to the magazine.
The Gamecocks finished the regular season 9-3 before suffering losses in the SEC Championship Game to eventual national champion Auburn and to Florida State in the Chick-fil-A Bowl.
Garcia returned for his senior year in 2011, but he was dismissed from the team at the midseason point for violating team rules related to alcohol and marijuana, Sports Illustrated reported.
Garcia is one of only six quarterbacks in South Carolina history to have thrown for at least 3,000 yards in a single season, with 3,059 in 2010, USA Today reported.
He finished his career at South Carolina with 7,597 passing yards and 47 touchdowns.
According to the Cancer Research Institute, 1 in 5 diagnoses occurs in persons 55 or younger -- and it has become a leading cause of cancer-related death in young people.
In his Facebook post, Garcia wrote that “the stuff we consume has been altered significantly over the years.”
“We’ve been hearing more and more people in this age range are getting diagnosed with these things,” Garcia wrote. “We got this and I appreciate all yall!”
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