BAKERSFIELD, Calif.(KBAK/KBFX) — A former Delano football standout who went on to play Division I football has died in a crash, leaving his family and the Robert F. Kennedy High School community searching for answers about what happened.
25 year old Ivan Garza.
Photo: Garza family
Sacramento State’s football program announced his death in a social media post Wednesday.
Garza’s aunts, Sonia Garza and Maricruz Garza, remembered him as a devoted family member and a role model whose impact stretched beyond football.
“We want his legacy to live on. He was just such a gentle giant. Nobody knows such a big guy with such a big heart,” Sonia Garza said.
She also pointed to his accomplishments on the field and the pride his family felt watching him succeed.
“We were all so proud of him for doing what he did in high school. Um, you know, taking them to the championships, RFK, in Delano, and then getting a full ride to Sacramento for the Division One,” she said.
Robert F. Kennedy High School head football coach Mario Millan said Garza was a cornerstone of the program and a standout in the classroom and in athletics.
Photo: Sacramento State Football (Facebook)
“Ivan was, you know, one of the stewards of our program. He was a phenomenal student, a phenomenal athlete, earned himself, uh, the first Division One scholarship out of Delano, uh, I think, ever, uh, historically,” Millan said.
Loved ones described Garza as someone who brought people together and mentored younger athletes.
“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,” Sonia Garza said.
Questions remain about the circumstances of his death.
The Kern County Coroner’s Office identified Garza as the man involved in the deadly Delano crash. A GoFundMe organized by Garza’s family said he died in a hit-and-run, however Delano police said the involved driver remained on scene.
Family members also said they want a thorough investigation and answers from police, and they asked anyone with information about the crash to come forward.
25 year old Ivan Garza.
Photo: Garza family
Sonia Garza said she organized the fundraiser to help support Garza’s family, including his mother and younger siblings.
“I organized a GoFundMe, and that is to help with funeral expenses and to help his mom,” she said. “Ivan was the oldest of four kids. He’s got three sisters, younger sisters, whom he is still supporting. And she needs all the help she can get from the entire community.”
As the family mourns, they said the viewing will take place at the end of this month.