Garrison Hearst rose to the top of the game at every level he played. At Lincoln County, Hearst was the 1989 AJC and GSWA All-Classification Player of the Year after rushing for 2,097 yards and 36 touchdowns as a senior. He led Lincoln County to a 15-0 record and a Class A championship. In 2007, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution ranked Hearst as the No. 6 Georgia high school football player of all time. He went on to play at the University of Georgia, where he set school and SEC records with a national-best 21 touchdowns in 1992. He finished in third place in the Heisman voting and was named the SEC Player of the Year. When he left Georgia, he was the second-leading career rusher in program history and is currently fifth with 3,232 yards. Hearst was selected third overall in the 1993 NFL Draft by the Phoenix Cardinals. He later blossomed with the San Francisco 49ers, totaling 2,105 yards and nine touchdowns in 1998, earning his first Pro Bowl selection. Hearst was the cover athlete for EA Sports’ Madden NFL 99. After missing two years due to injury, he was named the 2001 NFL Comeback Player of the Year and earned his second Pro Bowl selection after totaling 1,553 yards and five touchdowns.
