Solemn Promise allegiance to Haiti

Solemn Promise allegiance to Haiti

By Tom Pedulla, USA TODAY
INDIANAPOLIS — Wide receiver Pierre Garcon hopes his improbable rise to prominence with the Indianapolis Colts will provide solace to earthquake-ravaged Haiti.

"All I'm trying to do is have them not think about what they are going through," says Garcon, whose parents were Haitian.

Although no members of his immediate family died in the Jan. 12 earthquake, the former sixth-round draft choice feels a profound sense of loss even at a time of his greatest personal gain.

After telling family and friends he was dedicating his efforts to earthquake victims, he set an AFC Championship Game record for receptions, making 11 for 151 yards and a touchdown, as the Indianapolis Colts defeated the New York Jets 30-17 on Sunday and advanced to Super Bowl XLIV against the New Orleans Saints on Feb. 7.

"It gave me added motivation," Garcon says of images on the television screen that don't seem at all distant to him. "People down there don't deserve for this to happen. Nobody deserves anything like this."

He displayed the Haitian flag as a symbol of pride and a reminder of need during postgame ceremonies Sunday after his breakthrough performance. In four magical quarters, he dwarfed his 2008 production as an unpolished rookie from Division III Mount Union College in Alliance, Ohio. He made four catches for 23 yards and did not score last season.

Quarterback Peyton Manning had said as early as training camp that Garcon was capable of playing a much larger role after record-setting wide receiver Marvin Harrison was not retained because of advancing age and declining skills. The need increased when Anthony Gonzalez, Harrison's projected replacement, soon suffered a knee injury.

Manning is delighted Garcon, a speedy 6-0, 210-pounder, is fulfilling his potential at a critical time. "He has had an emotional couple of weeks with everything going on in Haiti," Manning said after Sunday's game. "We are proud of him for stepping up and playing like he did."

So is Enol Gilles, Garcon's close friend and workout partner since they were teenagers growing up in South Florida, not far from where the Super Bowl will be played. They had spent hours after the earthquake attempting to reach out to members of their extended family on the island. They could not make a phone connection.

As they watched and read the increasingly disturbing news and discussed what they could do to raise funds, Garcon realized how he could best respond.

"The main thing he said was, 'I've got to use this to play. I'm going to play for the people in Haiti,' " Gilles said.

Viergina, one of Garcon's three older sisters, expected him to react that way. "He's always wanted to do something for Haiti," she says. "I guess God put him in a position now where he can do that."

All donations welcome

After finishing the 2009 regular season with 47 catches for 765 yards and four touchdowns, Garcon has emerged as the Colts' leading playoff receiver, with 16 catches and 185 yards in two games.

He knows he will receive heavy news media attention in Miami, which is near his home and where there is a strong Haitian presence. He says he plans to use those interviews to encourage donations for Haiti. He provides information for those wishing to contribute on the Colts official website and his personal website, PierreGarconLive.com.

"Everything helps," he says.

That includes the $11,185 that students at Mount Union (enrollment 2,200) raised last weekend in an ongoing effort they call "Hugs for Haiti."

"Pierre has been a great role model for all of us at Mount Union," says senior kicker and punter Jay Carpenter, a former teammate of Garcon's. "He shows no matter where you come from, you can do well."

"Hugs for Haiti" brought together 220 students who collected donations ranging from 50 cents to $250. They plan to visit local churches this weekend.

"You can't feel what people in Haiti are feeling, but talking to Pierre gave me a sense of urgency to do something to make a difference," Carpenter says. "One little thought turned into a plan that turned into a communitywide effort that raised $10,000 in a week."

Big dreams, small school

When Garcon was at John I. Leonard High School in Greenacres, Fla., he struggled academically and did not attract interest from top-level college football programs. He attended Norwich University, a private military college in Vermont, for one year before transferring to Mount Union.

"I always had big dreams. I dreamed about being in the Super Bowl and the NFL," he says. "But I had to work toward it, and whatever path was given to me, I took it."

Garcon's father, Jules, died when Garcon was 6. His work ethic stems from watching his mother, Marie. She toiled on farms during the day, helping harvest corn and other crops, before picking up additional income by working a night shift for the postal service.

Garcon saw football as a means to get away from hourly wages and overtime.

"Off the field, he's very quiet, very humble," says Cecil Shorts III, an understudy to Garcon at Mount Union. "On the field, he's a different person. He plays with attitude and swagger. I don't want to say anger, but anger, like he has something to prove.

"When he was here, he tried to prove he didn't belong in Division III, and every Saturday he proved that."

Coach Larry Kehres, who has won 10 NCAA Division III national championships in 24 seasons at Mount Union, says Garcon always had both eyes on being selected in the NFL draft despite his small-school background.

"He did have a goal, but to talk about it while you're playing at Mount Union might have seemed out of place," Kehres says. "It was his dream, and he didn't share it a lot."

All he did was produce. He set school records for receptions (202) and touchdowns (47) while helping the Purple Raiders win two national titles in his three years. Still, it was unclear whether Garcon had done enough to convince scouts he was worth a late-round gamble and could handle the leap to the NFL.

"It's harder (at Mount Union) than it is if you play for the Buckeyes," says Kehres, referring to Ohio's other, somewhat larger, traditional football power.

Garcon was selected 205th overall in the 2008 draft, and he has become another example of Colts general manager Bill Polian's ability to spot talent others might have missed. NBC analyst Tony Dungy, who coached Garcon as a rookie, was impressed from the start.

"Pierre was a great young man, just a hard worker, and he really has blossomed as a player," Dungy says. "He was very, very quiet when I was there. He was a guy trying to do his job and learn his job."

Garcon credits four-time MVP Manning, among other veterans, for sharing knowledge of the game. They often worked together last offseason on a one-on-one basis to improve their chemistry.

Manning was impressed by Garcon's willingness to learn by watching in his first season.

"I feel like he got better in his rookie year even though he wasn't playing a lot," Manning says. "He didn't waste a year. When he was called upon in certain situations, he knew what to do."

It was the same when an earthquake shook the land of his parents to its core.