As a collegiate, Hearst amassed 3,232 yards and finished third in the Heisman Trophy balloting in 1992 to Miami (Fla.) quarterback Geno Torreta and San Diego State running back Marshall Faulk.How times have changed since then.
After leaving UGA early and being the first round pick of the Arizona (then Phoenix) Cardinals, Hearst burst quickly onto the scene to start his professional career. However, a knee injury early in the season quickly put a damper on his rookie year.
The 5-foot-11, 215 pound fourth-year pro struggled in the 1994 season with nagging injuries and a nagging coach - Buddy Ryan. Several times, Ryan attempted to trade the underachieving Hearst but was unsuccessful in doing so.
Hearst finally broke through in 1995, rushing for 1,070 yards. But, ironically enough for the player who set the SEC record for rushing touchdowns in a season (19 in 1992), he did not find the end zone on the ground.
"I've had to go through with a lot of changes in my career," said Hearst after his first game with the Cincinnati Bengals on Aug. 23. Of course, I haven't been playing that long, so hopefully it will only get better."
Hearst eventually was pushed out of the spotlight. He became a salary cap victim as the Cards released him in order to free up money to sign their first round pick, Simeon Rice of Illinois.
Hearst didn't stay out of work for long. The Bengals needed a running back to back up their top pick from 1995, Ki-Jana Carter.
Cincinnati claimed him off waivers on Aug. 21, and almost immediately, began teaching him the offense so that he could play in the Detroit game.
He only carried the ball six times for 36 yards, but Bengals' coach Dave Shula was pleased with the performance.
"(Garrison) has been with this team for less than 36 hours," he said. "He went into the game and was very enthusiastic and was into it until the end."
Hearst also was happy with the way he performed for his new team, a team that he did not originally want to play for.
"Things came slow and I didn't get to do a lot because I don't know a lot right now," he said. "I was just glad to be in the game."
Bengals' running back Eric Bieniemy said the addition of Hearst will help the depth at tailback.
"You got to have depth in this league," Bieniemy said. "The next person has to step up and be ready to perform."
Bieniemy said that when healthy, Hearst can be one of the top backs in the league.
"He's a helluva back," he said, "he's proven that. He's going to help us out."