Longtime Hillsborough football coach Earl Garcia is among six inductees in the 2023 class of the Florida Athletic Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
Garcia, the all-time winningest coach in Hillsborough County with more than 280 wins, has coached the Terriers since 1993.
He previously coached at Boca Ciega and Gaither before taking over at Hillsborough. It did not take long for Garcia to turn the Terriers into a title contender.
In 1996, Garcia led Hillsborough to the state championship game, ending a 26-year drought for county public schools.
But his legacy is not just about wins.
Garcia was able to get a field house and weight room installed. More than 200 of players have earned college scholarships and nearly 20 have it to the NFL.
Many of those players come back to their alma mater. Two weeks ago, 49ers linebacker Azeez Al-shaair came to Hillsborough to speak to the players and provide them with a meal.
