Garcia adds another record
Andy Lopusnak
Wednesday July 18, 2012
When San Antonio Talons QB Aaron Garcia took the field last Friday night against the Arizona Rattlers, he added another record to his illustrious AFL career - most regular season games played.
Garcia, the league's all-time leader in all passing categories, appeared in his 208th regular season game breaking a tie with former Tampa Bay Storm WR/LB Lawrence Samuels for the most in AFL history. The reigning AFL Offensive Player of the Year and ArenaBowl MVP was under center for his 206th start (extending his AFL record).
The win improved Garcia's record as a starter to 128-78 in the regular season. His 128 wins are the most in AFL history by a starting QB (San Jose's Mark Grieb is second with 115). Here's a look at Garcia's season-by-season games started and record as confirmed by The StatGuys, the AFL's official statistical provider.
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AARON GARCIA SEASON-BY-SEASON RECORD
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YEAR
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TEAM
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STARTS
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STARTING RECORD
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1995
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Arizona
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11
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6-5
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1996
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Connecticut
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9
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2-7
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1997
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New Jersey*
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4
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3-1
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1998
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New Jersey/Iowa
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14
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8-6
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1999
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Iowa
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14
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11-3
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2000
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Iowa
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14
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9-5
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2001
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New York
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14
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8-6
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2002
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New York
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5
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1-4
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2003
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New York
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14
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7-7
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2004
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New York
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16
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9-7
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2005
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New York
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16
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10-6
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2006
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New York
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5
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3-2
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2007
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New York
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6
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4-2
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2008
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New York
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14
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8-6
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2010
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Jacksonville
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15
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11-4
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2011
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Jacksonville
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18
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14-4
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2012
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San Antonio
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17
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14-3
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TOTALS
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206
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128-78
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* played in 2 games after 1997 injury, but didn't start adding up to 208 games played
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The 40-year old gunslinger has enjoyed three of his best seasons since 2010 leading each of his teams to the best overall regular season record in their conference doing so with Jacksonville in 2010 and 2011 prior to the Talons this year. He's compiled more yards, touchdowns and wins in these three seasons than any another other three-year stretch in his 17-year career. In his first 14 years, Garcia surpassed ten wins just twice and only once led his team to the best record in the conference (1999). He's eclipsed ten wins all three seasons since the league returned from the lost 2009 season.
In the win last week, Garcia tossed his 62nd 300-yard passing game extending his AFL record (Grieb is second with 59) to go along with seven TD strikes. This year, he has 110 passing scores tied for third most in the AFL.
This Saturday, Garcia returns to Iowa for the first time since 2000 when he was the starting QB for the Barnstormers before the team moved and to Long Island to become the New York Dragons. In his two and a half seasons with Iowa, Garcia turned around a franchise that was in the dumps after Kurt Warner left for the NFL and an eventual bust in Canton. With the Barnstormers, Garcia became the first player in football history to 90 passing TDs in a season and earned the first of three All-Arena First Team selections.
Garcia is playing some of his best football at age 40. It's hard to imagine him not coming back next season. However, if he does hang up his cleats Garcia, here's a look at where he ranks all-time in league history.
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AARON GARCIA CAREER - REGULAR SEASON
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Category
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Stat
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All-Time AFL Rank
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Completions
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4,366
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MOST
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Attempts
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6,828
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MOST
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Pass Yards
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54,643
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MOST
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Pass TD
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1,188
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MOST
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Times Intercepted
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183
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MOST
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Games Played
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208
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MOST
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Games Started
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206
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MOST
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Games Won as Starting QB
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128
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MOST
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Seasons with 100+ TD Passes
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4
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MOST
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Seasons with 90+ TD Passes
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7
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MOST
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Seasons with 80+ TD Passes
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8
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MOST
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Seasons with 70+ TD Passes
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9
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MOST (tied with Grieb)
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300-Yard Passing Games
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62
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MOST
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Andy Lopusnak is an 11-year AFL front office veteran, spending time with the Tampa Bay Storm, San Diego Riptide and Grand Rapids Rampage. He works as a statistician for NFL and college sports for CBS Sports and is a freelance photographer. Lopusnak received two Bachelor of Arts degrees from the University of South Florida and has been a fan of ArenaBall since its inception.
