Former Sacramento State football player Ivan Garza has died after he was struck by a vehicle in his hometown of Delano, California, his family confirmed. He was 25.
The crash happened in the early morning hours of Wednesday, July 8, while Garza was crossing the street, according to CBS News. A vehicle traveling north struck the former offensive lineman.
Sacramento State honored Garza in an Instagram post on Thursday, July 9.
“Rest in peace, Ivan Garza,” the Hornets wrote. “We give our deepest condolences to Ivan’s friends and family. He will be remembered as a wonderful teammate, player, and Hornet.”
The post also linked to a GoFundMe created to help Garza’s mother, Sandra, with funeral expenses and the financial hardship that comes with such a devastating loss. As of Friday, July 10, the fundraiser had raised more than $25,000.
“Ivan will be remembered for the person he was,” the GoFundMe description reads. “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.”
The fundraiser described Garza’s death as a “hit-and-run accident,” though that detail has not been confirmed. CBS reported that the driver stayed at the scene, was cooperative and that the crash remains under investigation.
Garza’s loved ones remembered him as more than just a gifted athlete.
“Nobody knows such a big guy with such a big heart,” his aunt, Sonia Garza, told local CBS affiliate KBAK. “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.”
Garza enrolled at Sacramento State in 2019 and redshirted during his first year. His second season was wiped out by the COVID-19 pandemic, but he eventually took the field for the Hornets in 2021 and played three seasons with the team.
Before college, Garza played football at Robert F. Kennedy High School in Delano, where he was a four-year varsity player. He also competed in basketball and track and field.
The high school paid tribute to Garza on Facebook, calling him a success story for both RFK and Delano.
“He was a success story out of RFK and Delano as a whole,” the school wrote. “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.”
Garza’s former RFK head coach, Mario Millan, said the young athlete helped shape the school’s football program.
“He was a phenomenal student, a phenomenal athlete, earned himself the first Division I scholarship out of Delano, I think, ever,” Millan said.
In a separate interview with ABC, Millan said Garza carried himself with joy even when life was difficult.
“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.