With Las Vegas Raiders QB Jimmy Garoppolo returning to action on Monday Night Football against the Detroit Lions, many are wondering where he came from. Where did Garoppolo play college football, and how did he become one of 32 starting QBs in the NFL?
Where Did Jimmy Garoppolo Attend College?
Garoppolo went to college at Eastern Illinois, where he played football for the Panthers. He was one of the most productive passers in Eastern Illinois’ history and holds the school record for career completions, obliterating the team’s single-season passing records in his dominant 2013 campaign.
In 2013, Garoppolo completed 375 of 568 attempts (66%) for 5,050 yards, 53 touchdowns, and just nine interceptions. He won the Walter Payton Award as the best player in the FCS ranks and earned an invite to the 2014 Reese’s Senior Bowl.
At the Senior Bowl and the NFL Combine that ensuing offseason, Garoppolo proved he belonged against some of the top NFL Draft prospects. In the 2014 NFL Draft, he was selected with the 62nd overall pick in Round 2 by the New England Patriots.
In New England, Garoppolo was introduced to Tom Brady and Bill Belichick and learned under the former for three seasons. He played sparingly but impressed with limited reps and was traded to the San Francisco 49ers midway through the 2017 season.
Garoppolo’s career with the 49ers is somewhat polarizing in hindsight. He struggled to stay healthy from start to finish, but when he was available, he proved himself to be a competent operator of Kyle Shanahan’s offense.
In 2019, after starting just eight games over the previous two years, Garoppolo led the 49ers to a 13-3 record, throwing for 3,978 yards, 27 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions while completing four fourth-quarter comebacks and game-winning drives.
Garoppolo led the 49ers to a Super Bowl appearance in 2019, which they lost 31-20 to Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Garoppolo-led 49ers made it to the NFC Championship Game again in 2021. This time, however, San Francisco lost 20-17 to the Los Angeles Rams, who would be crowned Super Bowl champions weeks later.
Garoppolo remained in San Francisco for one more year. He became a free agent in the 2023 offseason and signed a three-year deal with the Raiders, joining up with Josh McDaniels, his offensive coordinator from New England.
Garoppolo Not the First Success Story From Eastern Illinois
Interestingly, Garoppolo isn’t the first quarterback from Eastern Illinois to start notable reps as a QB in the NFL. He’s not the most productive, either.
Before Garoppolo, there was an undrafted free agent from Eastern Illinois who made his mark. His name was Tony Romo.
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Over a decade, from 2006 to 2015, Romo started 127 games for the Dallas Cowboys, completing 65.3% of his passes for 34,183 yards, 248 touchdowns, and 117 interceptions. He’s 39th all-time in career passing yards and 25th in passing touchdowns.
Now, Romo is a game-day announcer for CBS, who often calls NFL games alongside Jim Nantz, providing color commentary to viewers.
There is one more NFL success story to note among Eastern Illinois quarterbacks, but this person didn’t attain success as a player. Rather, he did so as a head coach.
Sean Payton was an undrafted free agent QB in the 1987 NFL Draft cycle who ended up taking reps for the Chicago Bears during the strike-impacted 1987 season.
After completing just eight of 23 passes for 79 yards and a pick, however, Payton transitioned to his coaching career within two years and eventually became head coach of the New Orleans Saints.
From 2006 to 2021, Payton compiled a record of 152-89 with the Saints and won Super Bowl XLIV in 2009. He’s now the head coach of the Denver Broncos.
Garoppolo is unique in that he is Eastern Illinois’ highest-selected NFL Draft pick in school history — but he wasn’t the first Eastern Illinois QB drafted. That honor goes to Jeff Christensen in the 1983 NFL Draft.
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