Eddie Garcia, Packers kicker in 1980s and later a board member, dies at 65
The Packers drafted Garcia in the 10th round of the 1982 draft out of Southern Methodist University, where he is tied for the school record of 44 field goals.
Advertisement
Garcia was injured during the 1982 season, but took over kickoff duties in 1983, while Pro Football Hall of Famer Jan Stenerud kicked field goals and extra points. Stenerud left for the Minnesota Vikings the next season and Garcia did all the kicking for seven games, before he was injured again. He made three of nine field goals and 14 of 15 extra points. He was waived following the 1984 season.
Eddie Garcia, Packers kicker and board member, died June 5, 2025. He was 65.
Garcia was elected to the Packers board of directors in 2021. He served on the sales and marketing and Green Bay Packers Foundation committees.
According to his obituary, his favorite part of his role with the Packers board was working on the Packers Foundation's distribution of money to local nonprofits and charities. He said he felt honored to help support the work being done across Wisconsin by those organizations.
Advertisement
Garcia was a graduate of Southern Methodist University's Cox School of Business, and after his football career, worked for Oshkosh Corp., much of the time in the Oshkosh Defense division, in sales and marketing.
Contact Richard Ryman at rryman@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @RichRymanPG, on Instagram at @rrymanPG or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RichardRymanPG
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Eddie Garcia, Packers kicker and board member, dead at 65
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
4 hours ago
- USA Today
Where James Franklin ranks in ESPN college football coach ranking
Penn State head coach James Franklin is entering his 12th season at the helm of the program, and he may be facing the most pressure yet after bringing Penn State to the cusp of an appearance in the national championship game last season. The Nittany Lions are predicted to be a Big Ten heavyweight with a legitimate national title aspirations as they look to take the challenging next step as a program Franklin has been harping about for years. No matter what you think about Franklin entering the 2025 season, the numbers do back up the idea that he is among the best in the game. And according to Bill Connelly of ESPN, the numbers have Franklin ranked as one of the four best coaches in college football in 2025. Connelly's mathematical formulas, used to rank just about everything you can imagine in college football, have calculated Franklin to be the fourth-best active college football coach for the upcoming college football season. Two ranked ahead of him, Ohio State's Ryan Day (no. 1) and Georgia's Kirby Smart (no. 3), have national championships to their name. The other, Josh Heupel of Tennessee (no. 2), is questionable if not laughable. Even if you rank Heupel ahead of Franklin, is he really the second-best coach in the sport? Probably not. While a small handful of active head coaches currently own national title rings (Clemson's Dabo Swinney joins Day and Smart and may have the Tigers ready to roar back to the national title conversation soon enough after year's ACC championship and playoff appearance), the tenure of Franklin is a bit of a complicated one when determining his success. Penn State has consistently been one of the winningest programs in the country since his arrival, but Franklin's jarring record against top-ranked teams is an unavoidable narrative that is increasingly more difficult to combat even for Franklin's biggest defenders. Arguing that Franklin has been a bust for a head coach is ill-advised as he has taken Penn State to a Big Ten title and wins in the Rose Bowl, Fiesta Bowl (twice), and Cotton Bowl, and has helped[d produce some incredible talent for the NFL. But it is also fair to suggest Franklin has failed to getting Penn State to the elite level the program is striving for. After so many years and shortcomings against the same hurdles in the same fashion, the case has been made. But maybe in 2025, Franklin will finally break free of that narrative once and for all. Follow Kevin McGuire on Threads, Bluesky, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. Follow Nittany Lions Wire on X, Facebook, and Threads.
New York Post
6 hours ago
- New York Post
Former employee sues Major League Soccer for discrimination
Major League Soccer executives undermined a black marketing director after he complained that they gave a promised promotion to a white colleague — then fired him, he claimed in a lawsuit. Cedric Shine, who began at MLS in December 2022 as a brand marketer, was fired in May after months of poor treatment from top bosses at the soccer league, he said in a July 18 Manhattan Supreme Court lawsuit. Shine, 41, said he was told he was about to be given a new job as senior director of marketing for the league when new direct supervisors were installed in February. 3 Cedric Shine was hired by Major League Soccer in 2022. Cedric D. Shine/ LinkedIn But days later, the new bosses reversed course, he said in court papers. 'The decision to block Shine's promotion came mere weeks after Shine's new supervisors terminated one of the few Black Directors in the Marketing Department, Justin Cox,' according to the lawsuit. The higher level job was instead given to 'a Caucasian MLS Marketing Director,' Shine said in the legal filing. When he complained to MLS' human resources department about the move, 'and its racial implications,' Shine was promoted 'over his supervisors' objections' — triggering a 'campaign of retaliation against him,' he claimed. Bosses berated him, lied about him showing up late for work, slashed his marketing budget and would abruptly leave events he organized, leaving MLS corporate partners and MLS executives 'in attendance to question why marketing leadership was leaving the event and reflected extremely poorly on Shine,' he said in the litigation. 3 Shine claims he was the target of retaliation at work. Cedric D. Shine/ Instagram Questioning 'their views' on his performance 'would be frowned upon' and that he 'would be seen as someone who lacks the ability to accept constructive criticism,' bosses allegedly told Shine, he claimed in court papers. When other officials and MLS higher-ups ignored his complaints of retaliation, 'Shine attempted to schedule a meeting with MLS Deputy Commissioner Gary Stevenson, who oversaw the leadership team that had been retaliating against Shine.' Instead of a meeting with Stevenson, Shine was fired, according to the lawsuit. 3 Shine said his bosses lied about him arriving late for work. Cedric D. Shine/ Instagram 'As a proximate result of MLS' conduct, Shine has been adversely affected in his employment and career, emotional well-being, the quality of his life and in his normal life's pursuits, and Shine believes MLS' conduct … has and will continue to have a negative effect upon him.' Shine is seeking unspecified damages. The league, which has instituted anti-racism campaigns in the wake of several high profile incidents, denied Shine's accusations. 'Shine's allegations of retaliation have no merit and the League intends to vigorously defend the recently filed lawsuit,' MLS said in a statement, adding the league is committed 'to providing an equitable and inclusive environment.'
USA Today
7 hours ago
- USA Today
Packers president: Mark Murphy era ends, Ed Policy era begins in Green Bay
Roughly 13 months after being elected the new president and CEO of the Green Bay Packers, Ed Policy assumed the role from Mark Murphy at Friday's Annual Meeting of Shareholders inside Lambeau Field. Murphy, who reached the mandatory retirement age of 70 in July, spoke for the final time as Packers president before handing over responsibilities to Policy, who has been preparing to take over for the last year under Murphy. The changing of the guard is now official, and a new era begins in Green Bay. Policy joined the Packers organization in 2012. He spent six years as vice president and general counsel before being promoted to chief operating officer and general counsel in 2018. Policy, the son of former NFL executive Carmen Policy, was previously an executive consultant for the NFL and a nine-year run as an executive for the Arena Football League, including three years as commissioner. In Green Bay, Policy has served as the organization's legal leader and helped lead the development of Titletown. Across 17 seasons under Murphy's leadership, the Packers won Super Bowl XLV, eight NFC North titles and made the postseason 13 times. The team also invested millions and millions of dollars to upgrade Lambeau Field, improve facilities and work areas for players and coaches and develop Titletown areas around the stadium, and Murphy was instrumental in getting the 2025 NFL draft to Green Bay. Murphy is also leaving the Packers with a corporate reserve fund of almost $600 million. The Packers Board of Directors elected Policy as Murphy's successor on June 24, 2024. He officially assumed the role on July 25, 2025.
