Players

Garay (6-4, 320) is a sixth-year defensive tackle in his fourth year with the Chargers.

The Chargers retained a key cog on the defensive line when Antonio Garay signed a two-year contract in March to remain with the Bolts.  The anchor of the line in the team’s 3-4 defensive scheme,

Garay has a championship background as a freestyle amateur wrestler and it’s helped him become one of the league’s top defensive tackles. He returns after a 2011 season in which he led the defensive line in tackles (67) and tackles for loss (nine), while ranking second on the team in pressures (10) and quarterback hits (14).  Garay’s football story is one of incredible perseverence. Just five years ago as a member of the Chicago Bears, he suffered a broken right leg and shattered right ankle as the result of a horrific chop block that took nearly two years to heal. It was the kind of injury that in most cases is career-ending, but Garay refused to throw in the towel. He spent nearly two full years doing rehab and his big break came when good family friend and former wrestling coach, Joe Ryan, helped him create workout videos and post them on a website for NFL teams to see. The effort paid off in Oct. 2009 when the New York Jets signed Garay to the practice squad.Just seven weeks after signing with the Jets, the Chargers, in need of help on the defensive line, signed Garay. It was a chance for him to reunite with Don Johnson, his former position coach in Chicago whom he’d played for when he sustained the horrific injury.  

Garay saw limited action his first season with the Bolts, but by 2010, the Chargers saw enough to move the 6-4, 320-pounder into the starting lineup and Garay enjoyed a breakout season. He led the defensive line and set new career highs in tackles, sacks, tackles for loss and quarterback hits. His 5.5 sacks tied for second among all NFL defensive tackles and he was selected as a third-alternate to the AFC Pro Bowl squad. Garay played in every game, starting all but one, and was a key reason the Chargers led the NFL in total defense and ranked fourth against the run.  

One play in particular stuck out during Garay’s stellar ’10 season. During the Chargers’ Nov. 28 game in Indianapolis on NBC’s Sunday Night Football, Garay put guard Jeff Linkenbach on his heels and drove him backward into quarterback Peyton Manning. The play forced Manning to the ground, and even though Garay wasn’t credited with a sack, it was one of the most impressive plays of the NFL season and was shown on a number of highlight shows around the country.

A native of Rahway, N.J., Garay is a second-generation freestyle wrestler and his family holds the second-most medals in state history. Garay’s uncle, Louie Garay, won the N.J. state title in 1955, uncle, Carlos Garay, finished second in ’55, cousin, Carlos Garay, was third in ’99 and Antonio’s dad, Tony, was third in ’66. Garay’s brother, Dan, also owns a state title, but Antonio may have been the best of them all. A state champion in his weight class (275 lbs.), Garay was undefeated and won the high school national championship as a senior. He was also an All-American in football, which led him to Boston College. He excelled in both sports until the Eagles dropped wrestling prior to his senior year. Garay finished fourth in the NCAA Championships as a sophomore and won the award for the most pins in the least amount of time at the national tournament. The only wrestling  All-American in school history, in 2009 Boston College inducted Garay into its Athletics Hall of Fame.Garay comes from a diverse family.

His mother, Marsha, is Jewish and his father is Catholic and a combination of Puerto Rican, Costa Rican and Jamaican. Both of Garay’s parents were two-sport athletes at Hofstra University, where they met. His mom was a softball pitcher and captain of the tennis team and his dad wrestled and played football. One of the most highly-touted defensive linemen in the country in 1971, Garay’s father spent time in the NFL with the Los Angeles Rams, Oakland Raiders, New England Patriots and New York Jets. Garay’s mother has instilled Jewish heritage in Antonio and his siblings, and as such, one of his ambitions is to visit Israel and wrestle in the Maccabi Games, an international Jewish athletic event similar to the Olympics.

Garay also has been mentioned as a candidate to one day represent the United States in wrestling at the Summer Olympics. Garay is working toward starting a foundation called “Set the Tone,” to help kids prepare for college. Garay earned bachelor’s degrees in both English and marketing, and a master’s degree in secondary education with a focus on English from Boston College.Garay is still revered in his hometown. In 2011, he was invited to teach a clinic at the New Jersey All-State Wrestling Camp and in 2012, the Sicilian Federation of New Jersey (Federazione Siciliana Del New Jersey) presented Garay with its "Humanitarian of the Year Award.”  Off the field, Garay is well-known for unique hair designs that he changes prior to each game. And he turned heads last year when he pulled into the parking lot at Chargers Park behind the wheel of a miniature Smart Car with images of Hello Kitty emblazoned on the sides. Part eco-conscious and part publicity stunt, Garay gained notoriety on a national level while driving the car. The car is featured as the avatar on Garay’s Twitter account (@antoniogaray71) which boasts more than 10,000 followers.