I remember the year that we signed Garrison. We had made an offer earlier in the off season to Rodney Hampton of the New York Giants, but they matched it and were able to retain his services. My mind was over run with thoughts of another season with Derek Loville at halfback. One more season of not having a 1000 yard back. One more season of Steve not having the running game that the other great quarterbacks in the league had at their disposal. Favre, Elway, Brunell, Bledsoe. You name any QB from the year before that put up great numbers and chances are that he probably had a good runner in the backfield. Steve did not have that and was still able to be one of the best at his position. But I digress when word began coming from the news sources that we were looking at Garrison to come to San Francisco, I was ecstatic to say the least. Somehow I just knew that he would be the piece on offense that we needed. And he did not disapoint. He started 13 games in the 97 season, missing three with a broken clavicle suffered in a losing contest at Kansas City. He racked up 1,019 yards on the ground with 4 touchdowns and 194 yards in the air with two TD's. He became the first 49er back to gain 1000 yard rushing since 1992.

Finally we had our back, not a Ricky Watters or any of the other babies in the league. Garrison has always seemed to have the attitude of someone who was just glad to be here. Thankful that he has been blessed with the talent to play a game for a living. That may be because twice now he has come horribly close to having that job taken from him. The first being a sever sprain of his medial collateral ligament that required surgery and ended his season in 1993. The second we are all aware of, the ankle break suffered at the hands of the unforgiving turf in the Georgia Dome. Damn that place!!! Has nothing good ever come from there? The Dirty Bird and a broken ankle, both disgusting experiences!!!

This time around however was much worse then the first. The ankle injury sidelined Hearst for two years and required four surgeries. Many people, experts and fans alike were ready to concede Garrisons career as one that ended prematurely due to a freakish injury. Almost everyone I have spoken too on the matter did not think that he could make a comeback. There was one man who believed however that he not only could but would make it back to that field at Candlestick. That man was none other the Hearst himself. He fought through countless hours of rehabilitation and surgery. He fought off the nay sayers who wrote him off. He fought off coaches who did not want to overexert him. he fought off four much younger running backs in training camp to be named the opening day starter for the 49ers. And he remained the only back out of the four that stayed healthy throughout camp.

Now after a slow start to the season, he is riding high with the rest of his teammates at 7-2, a record that no one thought would be possible to achieve for this young team with so many questions at so many positions. Now though as the season has progressed, the most pressing question that was being asked in preseason has been answered.

Could the 49ers generate a run game, with a back who had not played in two years and another who was a rookie and was injured for a good portion of the offseason. The answer to that has been a resounding, YES!!! Garrison Hearst to me is what not just 49er football is all about but what the game is supposed to be. Hearst has been humbled with the adversity that he has overcome. He the ultimate football player, a true warrior on the field and a true gentleman off it. He has shown great determination and heart. A tremendous amount of resolve. As well as unselfishness by restructuring his contract twice before the season began to ensure that the 49ers could keep him and give him his chance to return to the game that he holds so dear. He took the chance and ran with it. Literaly... after nine games this season he has rushed 135 times for 670 yards. The only thing that he has not done this year is cross the goal line on a rush. I have a feeling though that it will not be for much longer. As a matter of fact I think we will see Garrison waltz into the endzone this Sunday in the RCA Dome.