A San Francisco 49ers legend has some pointed words for the NFL, and they come during Latino Heritage Month. Tony Gonzalez, a Hall of Fame tight end who redefined his position, and other Latino stars spent years waiting for the league to celebrate their unique background. Now Jeff Garcia is asking why it took so long, questioning why this spotlight only arrived after decades of these players shaping the game.

The former 49ers quarterback reposted the team’s Latino Heritage Month post on his Instagram story with this caption:

“Where was this 20, 30, 40 years ago? Finally, the @nfl and @49ers @49ersesp have their eyes open to recognize the tremendous impact that Latinos are making to this great game, but let us not forget los primeros Trail Blazers who went unrecognized for their culture and heritage, who were battling and paving the road well before this current group. Tom Flores, Anthony Munoz, Ron Rivera, Tom Fears, Tony Gonzalez, Joe Kapp, Jim Plunkett, and yes ME!”

Garcia has cared about this for years. When he became a starting quarterback in 1999, his to-do list included befriending his linemen, avoiding concussions and signing up for a Spanish class to brush up on his paternal grandparents’ language.

“That way I’d be better able to reach out and be somebody who can represent the Latino population or the Mexican heritage on a public scale,” Garcia said at the 49ers compound in Santa Clara. “It’s definitely something that I want to be a bigger part of. I want to be looked at and be seen as a representative of the Mexican community, the Latino community.”

Tony Gonzalez, one of the names in that caption, grew up in Orange County and was never told football wasn’t for someone with his name. The league was another story.

“I remember [former Kansas City Chiefs teammate] Victor Riley telling me he didn’t know Latinos played football,” Gonzalez said, per ESPN. “He’d ask me if I speak Mexican. There were guys from different parts of the country, and absolutely I heard, ‘Why are you playing football?’ You just didn’t see a Gonzalez out there or any kind of Latin name.”

Times have changed. Gonzalez retired after 17 seasons and entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2019.

“The game is exploding for Latinos. … They’ve embraced the game,” Gonzalez said. “When I go down to Mexico now, it’s not quite like I’m in Kansas City, but maybe it’s like when I’m in Atlanta the way I get recognized. That gives me a lot of pride.”

Others on Garcia’s list racked up firsts. Tom Flores was the first Latino quarterback in professional football and minority head coach to win the Super Bowl. Jim Plunkett, of Mexican heritage, was the first Hispanic player to win a Heisman and the first Hispanic player to be drafted No. 1 overall.

FOX reported in 2013 that Latinos made up just 1 percent of NFL players. There has been some rise in Latino representation in the league since then, of course.

Today’s Latino NFL stars include 49ers linebacker Fred Warner, a four-time All-Pro, 2025 Pro Bowlers Nik Bonitto, Christian Gonzalez, and veterans Chris Olave and Julian Love.

Christian is the first player of Colombian descent to play in the NFL. In the Super Bowl last season, he was one of five players of Latino heritage playing in that game.

Younger standouts like Bryce Young, Steve Avila and Jacob Rodriguez are joined by rookies KC Concepcion and Fernando Mendoza, and the group spans a wide range of heritages.

This year, the Hispanic Football Hall of Fame was also established, and it is being spearheaded by Latino NFL greats. Former Bengals offensive tackle Anthony Muñoz and Ron Rivera are founding board members. This year, in February, they inducted seven iconic Latino players into the Hall of Fame.

Rivera and Muñoz were joined by Flores, Ted Hendricks, Tom Fears, Plunkett, and Steve Van Buren.

The league has come a long way from players being asked why they were playing at all. Garcia’s point is that the pioneers deserve their flowers too.