When he was a student at Central High in Fresno, California, Nick Wilson and his teammates would make regular visits to football coach Justin Garza’s office.
“During lunch, we’d come in his office, we’d hang out, joke around, have fun, talk football,” said Wilson, who’s about to enter his senior year at Arizona.
Garza wasn’t just a coach to Wilson and his fellow Central Grizzlies; he also was a friend, advisor and mentor.
So when Garza died from cancer last month at age 41, it hit his former players hard.
“It was really, really difficult,” Wilson said after a recent UA practice. “It wasn’t unexpected, because he’s been battling cancer for longer than I knew him. He was prepared for it.
“He was just a hell of a guy. It takes a special kind of man to plan out your own funeral service.”
Garza was that kind of person. Wilson said Garza would carry a notebook with him everywhere he went and jot “every little thing down.”
“He had his whole day planned out,” said Wilson, who missed Arizona’s mid-spring scrimmage on March 2 to attend Garza’s funeral. “He was a different character.”
Garza had Hodgkin’s lymphoma for about six years, according The Fresno Bee.
He coached for much of that time at Fresno’s Sunnyside and Central high schools. Wilson said doctors gave Garza until November to live; the husband and father of two small children passed away Feb. 20.
“He was battling it,” Wilson said. “He was going back and forth with it. Some days he’d be perfectly fine.”
Wilson has dealt with death before, including losing his grandmother, Esther, to cancer.
“At the same time,” Wilson said, “it doesn’t make it any easier.”
Although unwanted, tragedies invariably provide perspective. The injuries that have cost Wilson large portions of the past two seasons don’t seem like such a big deal compared to what others have endured.
“I don’t take anything for granted,” Wilson said. “I appreciate everything.”
Wilson is healthy now after missing seven games last year because of ankle and knee injuries. He tried to play through the ankle injury, to his own detriment.
When he finally looked like himself again, Wilson banged his knee at the end of a 39-yard run against USC on Oct. 15.
He sat out the rest of the season.
“I was like, ‘Man, I can’t catch a break,’ ” Wilson said. “I was frustrated. It’s one of those things. You’ve just got to keep fighting.”
You can imagine his former coach saying that very same thing.
Denker’s value
Bringing B.J. Denker back to Arizona always was in the back of UA coach Rich Rodriguez’s mind. Now it’s a reality.
Although not yet officially announced by the school, Denker has joined the Wildcats staff as an analyst after spending two years as a graduate assistant at Texas A&M. The former UA quarterback returns to Tucson with institutional knowledge that’s hard to replicate.
“He understands the program,” Rodriguez said Monday. “In the role he’s got right now, he’s going to be able to provide some insight and do some things for the coaches and know what to look for without us having to explain it to him.”
Denker’s primary recruiting responsibility will be junior colleges. He came to Arizona from California’s Cerritos College, so he’s familiar with the JC landscape.
Extra points
- Linebacker Kahi Neves is not practicing because of disciplinary reasons. Rodriguez has the redshirt freshman doing “community service” around campus, including cleaning up the bleachers and dugout at Kindall/Sancet Stadium.
- Receiver Cedric Peterson, who’s been limited because of a foot injury, did more work Monday than he’s done all spring. He still might be held out of Friday’s scrimmage, though, Rodriguez said.
- Rodriguez said junior Shun Brown has been the most consistent of Arizona’s wide receivers. Brown led the team in receiving yards last season.
- Sophomore safety and likely starter Tristan Cooper has bulked up to 190 pounds. He arrived at Arizona last year weighing 170-175. He’s listed at 6-foot-1 but might be closer to 6-2.
- Asked which receiver has stood out the most this spring, Cooper cited redshirt freshman Devaughn Cooper (no relation). Tristan doesn’t cover Devaughn often but can see his quickness and shiftiness on film.
- Rodriguez said Josh Pollack performed “pretty well” in his first year as Arizona’s kicker. He was more comfortable once he eliminated punting from his duties late in the season, and that’s the plan moving forward.
- Receiver Cam Denson still has a walking boot on his right foot.
- Defensive end Jalen Cochran, who’s been out because of concussion issues, did not have a yellow jersey as he left practice, suggesting some level of participation.
- Former Arizona receiver Trey Griffey said he has interviews lined up with the Los Angeles Chargers and Seattle Seahawks.
- Former Wildcats David Richards and Ka’Deem Carey have been working out on campus.
