Boca Raton, Fla. (December 20, 2021) — Former NFL wide receiver Pierre Garcon was awarded this year’s Palm Beach County Football Legends Award Presented by the David A. Burke Foundation on Friday, December 17 at the Palm Beach County Convention Center. Garcon was recognized at the Annual RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl Luncheon filled with leaders from the state and county government, school board, business, sports, tourism, and community as well as the bowl’s matchup, Western Kentucky and Appalachian State.

The Palm Beach County Football Legends Award is an annual highlight of RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl week. Its purpose is to honor those in Palm Beach County who have made notable achievements and contributions to the sport of football. Previous honorees include Howard Schnellenberger (2014), Reidel Anthony (2015), John Carney (2016), Steve Walsh (2017), Brad Banks (2018), and Santonio Holmes (2019).

“We are proud to recognize Palm Beach County native Pierre Garcon with the RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl Football Legends Award this year. We admire his dedication on and off the field and all his accomplishments playing with three NFL teams,” said RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl executive director Doug Mosley.

Pierre Garcon grew up in Greenacres, Florida where he fell in love with football, a passion that propelled him to play pro football for the Indianapolis Colts, Washington, and San Francisco 49ers. He attended Norwich University in Vermont where he played as a wide receiver ending with 44 receptions for 1,017 yards and 13 touchdowns in just ten games as a freshman. Garcon then transferred to Mount Union College in the Ohio Athletic Conference where he averaged over 60 receptions, 1,000 yards, and 15 touchdowns in his career as a Purple Raider. Leading his team to two consecutive NCAA Division III Football Championships, he was named to the Ohio Athletic Conference first-team and was recipient of the Ed Sherman Award that is awarded to OAC’S most outstanding receiver in his junior and senior years.

After his senior year, Garcon was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the sixth round of the 2008 NFL Draft with the 205th overall pick. By 2009, he displayed himself as a deep threat in Peyton Manning’s offense. Garcon caught a touchdown pass from Manning in the Colts’ Super Bowl loss to New Orleans February 2010. In 2011, he had his best season with the Colts, starting in all 16 games of the season and recording 70 receptions, 947 receiving yards, and six touchdowns. Garcon then spent five seasons playing for the Washington Football Team.

In 2013, his 184 targets ranked No. 1 among NFL wide receivers; receiving more than any other wide receiver that season. He was then voted 80th best overall player in the league by his peers in the NFL Network Top 100 Players of 2014. Garcon then spent two seasons with the San Francisco 49ers. During his entire NFL career, he accumulated 38 touchdowns, 628 receptions, and 7,854 total yards.

“It really doesn’t get much better than when you get to meet great players, that turn out to be even better people. What an honor it was for our foundation to present The Palm Beach County legends award to Pierre and his family,” said Ryan Burke, executive director of The David A. Burke Foundation and associate vice president of RBC Wealth Management.

Garcon has made an even bigger impact off the field with the work he has done in Haiti, his family’s homeland. When the impoverished nation was devastated with natural disasters. Garcon traveled to Haiti to bring supplies and started the foundation Helping Hands to bring education, health, and community programs to the country.

ABOUT THE ROOFCLAIM.COM BOCA RATON BOWL

The Roofclaim.com Boca Raton Bowl is one of 17 bowl games owned and operated by ESPN Events, a division of ESPN. The RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl debuted in 2014 and has been well received in the community through its first seven years. It has twice held the distinction of matching up two conference champions – Marshall University vs. Northern Illinois University (2014), and UAB vs. Northern Illinois (2018). In all, six conference champions and another three conference division champions have played in the game. Among the bowl’s alumni who have moved on to the NFL are current New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson (BYU, 2020), Buffalo Bills running back Devin Singletary (FAU, 2017) and Philadelphia Eagles kicker Jake Elliott (Memphis, 2016). For more information about the RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl visit RoofClaimBocaRatonBowl.com or follow through social media on Facebook (Facebook.com/BocaBowl), Twitter (@BocaBowl), and Instagram (@BocaBowl).

ABOUT ESPN EVENTS

ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, owns and operates a portfolio of 34 collegiate sporting events nationwide. The roster includes five early-season college football games, 17 college bowl games, 11 college basketball events, and a college softball event, which accounts for approximately 400 hours of live programming, reaches nearly 64 million viewers and attracts over 800,000 attendees each year. With satellite offices in more than 10 markets across the country, ESPN Events builds relationships with conferences, schools and local communities, as well as providing unique experiences for teams and fans. For more information, visit the official website, Facebook, Twitter or YouTube pages.