Calgary Stampeders get a Labour Day pep talk from quarterback Jeff Garcia
CALGARY — Jeff Garcia’s breakout as a pro quarterback was in a Labour Day game in 1995.
So when Calgary Stampeders head coach Dave Dickenson let the former CFL and NFL star give an on-field address to the team ahead of Monday’s annual tilt against the Edmonton Eskimos, an animated Garcia topped up players’ adrenaline levels.
While his actual words didn’t carry beyond the edge of the McMahon Stadium turf Sunday, the 48-year-old Garcia strode back and forth in front of the team and barked out what seemed like football’s equivalent of a fire-and-brimstone sermon.
“He definitely was hyped up,” Calgary receiver Kamar Jorden said. “I don’t know what type of coffee he had, but it definitely got us going.