CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — He was a key player for the Chicago Bears, helping them reach the Superbowl in 2007. Roberto Garza made history in the NFL as one of the few Mexican-American players.
Born in raised in Rio Hondo, Roberto Garza said football for his family was as common as snow in the South.
"The first time I got in seventh grade, I got a chance to play football. My parents said no. They weren't big athletes growing up, they were like, 'you're going to get hurt.' And I was like I want to play, all my friends are playing, I want to play," Garza said.
All it took was a little contact for Garza to fall in love.
"I remember the first time I got hit, the first time I gave a hit. I was like, 'this is fun I enjoy this!' Garza said.
And his first injury resulted in his mom telling him, 'I told you so'.
"But now obviously they're my biggest supporters. They went to as many games as they could," Garza said.
After being called up to varsity late in his freshman year of high school, Garza was determined to make this into a career for himself, despite what others said.
"[Someone] said there's no Mexicano's that play football, you're not going to do that," Garza said.
But it only fueled his passion.
"I remember hearing those words and thinking like, you can't tell me what I can and can't do," Garza said.
At 6'2 and 230 pounds, Garza was smaller compared to others on the offensive line. But he finally got his chance right here in the Coastal Bend at Texas A&M - Kingsville.
"But Coach Ron Harms took a chance on me and allowed me to walk-on. From the moment I stepped on the field I was like alright I'm going to prove myself to these guys, 'cause obviously I was smaller," Garza said.
His dedication paid off. In 2001, Garza was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons.
"There are always going to be people in the way that are going to not live out your dreams," Garza said.
Garza played 14 seasons throughout his career, surpassing the average 3 seasons for NFL players. He said his parents are his biggest inspiration.
"At the time when we were growing up my dad was working in the farm driving the tractor, making 12,000 a year, feeding a family of 4," he said.
That perseverance translated onto the football field for him.
"If my dad can do this, I can show up to football practice every single day. So you think about truly what hard work is," Garza said.
During his time on the field, Garza said there were roughly 20 Latino athletes out of 1,500 in the league. To this day, he still feels the love and support from his community.
"To be one of those representatives of the Latino population and hearing, Garza! It's like alright man! Garza said.
Garza wants to remind everyone to dream big and never stop pushing. As he proved, with determination and pride in your roots, anything is possible.
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