Charlie Garner
Teams
Philadelphia Eagles (1994-1998)
San Francisco 49ers (1999-2000)
Oakland Raiders (2001-2003)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2004)
Playoffs
Appearances - 4 (1995,1996,2001,2002)
Conf Champ Games - 1 (2002)
Super Bowls - 1 (2002)
Championships - 0
Awards and Honors
Pro Bowl - 1 (2000)
All-Time Ranks
Yards per Rush - #35
Rushing Yards - #66
Scrimmage Yards - #93
League Leads
Rushing Yards (#8-1999)
Yards per Rush (#1-1995, #4-1999,2002, #6-1997, #10-2003)
Receptions (#10-2002)
Scrimmage Yards (#3-1999, #5-2002, #6-2000)
Yards per Touch (#6-1997, #7-1999,2002)
As a senior at Tennessee, Charlie Garner averaged 7.3 yards per carry, finishing the year with 1161 rushing yards, and then was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the second round of the 1994 NFL Draft.
Garner played with the Eagles for 5 seasons, starting at fullback as a rookie, then serving as a backup running back for the rest of his time with the team. In his second season, he led the entire league in yards per carry, with 5.4 yards each time he took the ball, and he also had 588 rushing yards that season, the most during his time with Philly.
After his time with the Eagles ended, he signed with San Francisco, where he became the team's starting running back. In his first season with the team, he rushed for 1229 yards, more than double his previous career high, and he did it while still gaining 5.1 yards per carry. He also became a receiving threat for the first time in his career, grabbing 56 passes for 535 yards, which gave him 1764 scrimmage yards, third-best in the league for the 1999 season.
He followed up that season with another very solid year, with 1142 yards on the ground and 7 touchdowns, a career best, plus another 647 yards through the air, putting him at 1789 from scrimmage. He was also named to his first and only Pro Bowl that season.
After a good 2-year run in San Francisco, he crossed the bay to play for the Raiders. In his second season with Oakland, he rushed for 962 yards and 7 touchdowns while catching 91 passes for 941 yards and 4 touchdowns, giving him 1903 scrimmage yards and 11 touchdowns, and the best season of his career at age 30. The Raiders made it all the way to the Super Bowl that year, but Garner was held to 10 rushing yards in the championship game, and they fell to the Buccaneers 48-21.
He played one more year with the Raiders, but his production dropped to only 553 yards on the season, and he left after that season to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He played in only 3 games before a knee injury sidelined him, and he was released by the team before the 2005 season, ending his career.
Garner was only among the leaders in rushing yards once in his career, but he was frequently among the leaders in yards per carry, and was one of the best receiving running backs later in his career, which put him near the top of the league in scrimmage yards several times. He was only voted to one Pro Bowl, but he probably deserved a few more, but at least he gets a spot here among the greatest to ever play the game.
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