The former Sacramento State Hornets player was fatally hit while crossing the road in Delano, Calif., on Wednesday, July 8
Credit: GoFundMe
NEED TO KNOW
- Ivan Garza, a former college football star with the Sacramento State Hornets, has died after being struck by a vehicle
- The 25-year-old was hit while crossing the road in his hometown of Delano, Calif., in the early hours of Wednesday, July 8
- “Nobody knows such a big guy with such a big heart,” his aunt, Sonia Garza, said in a tribute
A former college football player has died after being hit by a vehicle in his hometown, his family confirmed.
Officers from the Delano Police Department responded to reports of a vehicle striking a pedestrian in Delano, Calif.shortly after 4 a.m. local time on Wednesday, July 8, according to CBS News.
It’s thought the vehicle was traveling northbound and struck Ivan Garza as he was crossing the street. The driver remained at the scene and cooperated with authorities.
The Delano Police Department did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment amid their ongoing investigation into the collision.
Credit: Delano Police Department Facebook
Garza’s family paid tribute to him in a GoFundMe fundraiser, describing him as a “gentle giant with a kind heart, an infectious smile, and a genuine love for his family, friends, teammates, and everyone fortunate enough to know him.”
His aunt, Sonia Garza, told CBS affiliate KBAK, “Nobody knows such a big guy with such a big heart… He was a great mentor to everybody. He was a big guy, so everybody automatically looked up to him. And then when they saw that he was good, they looked up to him even more.”
Credit: GoFundMe
Garza, 25, was an offensive lineman for the Sacramento State Hornets from 2021 to 2023, after redshirting in 2019 and having the following season canceled due to COVID-19, according to his Sac State bio.
He was named honorable mention All-Big Sky in 2023 after starting all 13 games for the team.
Credit: Kevin Abele/Icon Sportswire via Getty
Sacramento State Football paid tribute to Garza in an Instagram statement, describing him as a “wonderful teammate, player, and Hornet” and offering condolences to his loved ones.
Former Sac State coach Cherokee Valeria called him an “amazing young man” in a comment under the post.
Before his college career, Garza attended Robert F. Kennedy High School in Delano, helping the school’s Thunderbirds football team to a Central Section Championship, his family said on GoFundMe.
The school paid tribute on Facebook, writing, “He was a success story out of RFK and Delano as a whole. He showed that big things can come from small places. His heart was as huge as his size. Rest easy young man, you are at peace.”
The school’s head football coach Mario Millan told KBAK, “Ivan was one of the stewards of our program. He was a phenomenal student, a phenomenal athlete, earned himself the first Division One scholarship out of Delano, I think, ever.”
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He added to 23ABC that Garza put a “shining light” onto Delano for his football exploits, and said he was “blessed” to have him around.
“Whether school was hard, as a teenager social life was hard, football was hard, whatever it may be, he always had a smile, he always laughed,” he said.
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