I was born in Gilroy, California, a small agricultural town 70 miles south of San Francisco to parents with vastly different upbringings. My mom was brought to Gilroy as a young girl whose father was hired on to be the head football coach and teacher at Gilroy High School. She was one of 4 kids, 2 older brothers who were athletes, one of which would become the head football coach and athletic director at De Anza Junior College.
My father was one of 9 children born to Mexican immigrant parents from Jalisco, Mexico. They settled in Gilroy to join the farming community and work it the fields. My dad would grow up picking fruits and vegetables, helping to provide for the family, knowing that his mother was dependent upon all of the siblings contributions. He learned what work ethic was all about af a young age but his love for sports kept him in school and pushed him into earning a college football scholarship to Cal Western University in San Diego.
My mom and dad had met at Gavilan Junior College in my hometown of Gilroy when my dad returned from his 4 years of service in the US Army and was attending Gavilan College as a 3 sport star. My mom was a cheerleader.
My early childhood was filled with memories of running around with my younger brother, Jason, at my dad’s practices and games, while he was the head football coach at Gavilan. He had been hired onto the staff as a 26 year old and took over as the head football coach 3 years later, winning a Junior college National Championship in 1973, in just his 2nd year as their leader.
Tragedy would strike my family for the 2nd time in 8 years, my mom having lost twin girls at birth in 1968, to now losing her youngest son, my brother Jason, to a drowning incident on Memorial Day Weekend, 1977. It would be the biggest loss in my life, my best friend, my little brother, my teammate.
Unfortunately it would not be the last loss that we would be dealt with. Fourteen months later we would lose my 5 year old sister when she fell out of the back of a pickup truck, suffering trauma to her head that she would not overcome.
I often questioned God and asked why? Why our family or why wasn’t it me? As an 8 year old just having lost 2 siblings in tragic accidents, I didn’t know how to cope or what to do, other than entrench myself in sports and surround myself with teammates and competition. Sports literally became my life line and it saved my family. My mom, who had to still be present and raise 3 children, throufh her sadness and depression, who was my shuttle to practice and games, our team mom, my biggest fan. She truly is the rock to our family.
Whether it was learning to deal with adversity, the trials and tribulations of life at an early age or the drive to just put a smile on my parents face after all of the heartache and loss that they had experienced, my focus was to be the best in any given moment. I wanted to make my parents proud. I wanted to bring them joy. I wanted to make them feel special. Sports did that for me and it did this for them. It was our family glue. My parents have been married 59 years, none of it easy, much like the ups and downs of a sports organization, but somehow they have managed to keep it together through hard work, commitment to each other, and perseverance.
I have witnessed all of this throughout my journey in life and through them, the loyalty and commitment of my mom, the intensity, passion, and work ethic of my dad, combined together to create this Quarterback that somehow, someway, would scratch and claw his way to the top.
I was not recruited by major colleges coming out of Gilroy High School as a football and basketball small town star. Only one coach really wanted me and that was my dad at Gavilan JC. He knew that I had something inside of me that he could bring out that would represent the leader of his team. I played one year for my dad, earning All American and All State JuCo Honors. It led to me being offered a scholarship to continue my education and to play football at San Jose State University.
While at SJSU and under the guidance of 3 different head coaches in 3 years, I once again earned All American Honors, First Team All Conference and twice named Team MVP. I became the All Time All Purpose Yardage Leader at SJSU, entrance into the SJSU Hall Of Fame and placed on the Spartan Stadium Wall of Fame.
This collegiate experience led to my MVP performance in the East West Shrine All Star Football Game at Stanford Stadium, and despite not being drafted or looked at by the NFL, an opportunity to play professionally in the Canadian Football League with the Calgary Stampeders.
It was in those 5 years in Calgary, where I led them to the 1998 Grey Cup Title with a MVP performance, that Bill Walsh recognized something special enough in me to offer me a contract and sign me to my childhood favorite NFL team, the San Francisco 49ers. It was here in SF that made my mark, on my way to an 11 year, 4 time Pro Bowl, NFL Career.