Buried beneath the bullet-pointed accolades and high-school accomplishments on Joshua Garnett’s official online biography, there is one achievement that begs for an explanation.
The Stanford sophomore offensive lineman once, according to this page, “ate seven pieces of 24-ounce prime rib at the Lawry’s Beef Bowl,” an annual eating competition between the two teams playing in the Rose Bowl game.
This is not a particularly fond memory for Garnett, who cringes and chuckles at the question.
“I was talking about how I was a pretty good eater, and a bunch of guys called me on my bluff,” said the 6-foot-5, 316-pound offensive guard. “I definitely wouldn’t do that again if our team was fortunate enough to make it to the Rose Bowl. Let’s just say practice the next day was pretty tough.”
Then again, perhaps Garnett, the former Puyallup High School star, had earned that colossal meal. He was, after all, the first true freshman to start a game on Stanford’s offensive line since 2000 — his bio more prominently displays that milestone — and played in each of the Cardinal’s 14 games as a first-year player.
This season, Garnett is still a backup to All-American guard David Yankey and plays some as a tight end — he played some fullback last season, too .. And he made his first start of the season in place of Yankey, who was tending to a family matter when Stanford played last week against Washington State.
That game was played at CenturyLink Field, where “20 or 25” friends and family members had tickets to watch Garnett play, including Puyallup coach Gary Jeffers and a handful of current Puyallup players.
“It’s certainly a sense of pride that he’s a Puyallup Viking and we’re a part of his roots,” Jeffers said. “It was a lot of excitement for him, a wonderful experience and opportunity for him and in front of his friends and family.”
This week, Garnett will play for the second time against Washington, the school where his father, Scott, played football in the early 1980s before graduating to a 4-year NFL career.
Because of that connection, many hoped Garnett, a highly-regarded recruit in the 2012 signing class, would stay home and play for the Huskies. But the opportunity not only to play for the resurgent Cardinal, but to attend a school as prestigious as Stanford — he is a dedicated student and wants to be a doctor — was too much to turn down.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
