San Francisco 49ers team medical director Dr. Daniel Garza passed away unexpectedly on Tuesday according to a news release from Stanford University.
Garza was an assistant professor of orthopedic surgery and emergency medicine at the Stanford School of Medicine. In addition to his duties with the 49ers, Garza taught undergraduate classes in human physiology, sports medicine and exercise anatomy at Stanford. He also tended to Stanford’s intercollegiate athletic programs.
Garza’s primary research focused on the prevention of traumatic brain injury in athletes. He was conducting extensive studies on the risk of concussions by fitting athletes with mouthpieces to measure the impact of collisions.
The 49ers confirmed Garza’s passing and released a statement Tuesday night.
“The 49ers organization has been informed of a tragedy. We were saddened to learn Dr. Dan Garza died unexpectedly Tuesday. Our sincerest thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends during this trying time,” via Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com.
