[2] Born in Los Angeles, California, Garrett was an All-American quarterback at Stanford University.

After he suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in a loss to USC, Stanford lost its two remaining games, finishing with a 5–5 record.

[7] The highlight of Stanford's season was a 21–20 victory over fourth-ranked UCLA in which Garrett, who played every minute on offense and defense, threw three touchdown passes, kicked three extra points, recovered a fumble, and intercepted a pass.

"[9] In a losing effort against USC, Garrett set a Pacific Coast Conference record for passing yardage in a single game, with 324 yards.

Garrett then served two years in the Air Force, after which Cleveland re-acquired him from Green Bay.