Former South Carolina QB Stephen Garcia shares text from Dabo Swinney after cancer diagnosis
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Former South Carolina quarterback Stephen Garcia led the Gamecocks to back-to-back wins over Clemson in 2009 and 2010. Dabo Swinney was on the sideline opposite Steve Spurrier for those games.
On Thursday night, Swinney demonstrated that some things are bigger than football.
Garcia, who revealed on Wednesday that he had been diagnosed with Stage IV colorectal cancer, shared on his X account that the longtime Tigers head coach had reached out to him with well-wishes.
“I am just beyond words of how thankful I am for these folks to take time and send such a REAL message. Thank you Coach Swinney,” Garcia wrote.
Here’s a screenshot of the text Swinney sent to Garcia:
South Carolina and Clemson are bitter rivals on the football field — and in any sport, at that. But at the end of the day, things like college rivalries take a backseat, especially in situations like this.
As for Garcia, who started chemotherapy on Thursday, all the best to him as he fights this terrible disease. A GoFundMe page set up for him on Wednesday by his wife, Maria, raised just over $171,000 of its $250,000 goals as of Thursday night.
“We cannot stress enough how important it is to prioritize regular screenings and colonoscopies. These preventative measures are life-saving tools that can catch issues before they progress,” Maria Garcia wrote. “If Stephen’s story can encourage even one person to schedule their screening, it adds a greater purpose to this difficult fight.”
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
