EIU To Retire Jimmy Garoppolo's Jersey

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Published on April 3 2023 6:35 am
Last Updated on April 3 2023 6:35 am

Eastern Illinois Athletics will honor former Walter Payton Award winning quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo as part of the action surrounding the Panthers football Spring Game later in April. EIU will officially retire Garoppolo’s No. 10 at halftime of the Panthers Spring Game on Saturday, April 22, which has a kickoff of 11 a.m. 

Admission to the Spring Game is free to watch the Panthers in action in addition to the number retirement ceremony.

Garoppolo recently signed a free agent contract with the Las Vegas Raiders after making Super Bowl appearances on both the New England Patriots and San Francisco 49ers rosters during his professional career.  He became the second EIU quarterback to win the Walter Payton Award in 2013 and is the highest EIU football player ever selected in the NFL Draft when he was selected in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft.

Garoppolo joins former EIU standout quarterbacks Tony Romo (No. 17) and Sean Payton (No. 18) with having their EIU football numbers retired. Romo won the Walter Payton

Award in 2002 before a long career as the quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys. He was recently inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame and currently works as the top analyst with Jim Nantz on CBS football broadcasts.  Payton was an All-American quarterback with the Panthers who recently was named the head coach of the Denver Broncos. Payton previously won a Super Bowl as the head coach of the New Orleans Saints.

EIU Athletics will also be holding a fundraising event later that Saturday evening with Garoppolo the guest of honor. The event has a limited number of tickets remaining at $200 for an individual or $350 for a couple. The event takes place at 6 p.m. that evening with a social hour followed by dinner at 7 p.m. The night concludes with a Q&A with Garoppolo hosted by WCIA Sports Director Bret Beherns. Tickets may be purchased online at www.eiupanthers.com