Bill Carr (American football)
William Curtis Carr, III (born November 29, 1945) is an American retired college football player, coach, and athletics administrator. Carr was born in Gainesville, Florida, raised in Pensacola, Florida, and attended the University of Florida, where he was an All-American center for the Florida Gators football team in the mid-1960s. He served in the United States Army for two years, and after an unsuccessful attempt to make a National Football League roster, Carr returned to UF as an assistant football coach. He soon moved into sports administration at the school, and in 1979, he became the athletic director at the University of Florida at the age of 33, making him the youngest athletic director among major universities at the time. He later served as the athletic director at the University of Houston and has been involved in college sports consulting since the late 1990s.
 | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 29, 1945 Gainesville, Florida, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1964–1966 | Florida |
| Position(s) | Center |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1972–1974 | Florida (assistant) |
| Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
| 1979–1986 | Florida |
| 1993–1997 | Houston |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Awards | |
| First-team All-American (1966) First-team All-SEC (1966) University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame | |
Early life
Carr was born in Gainesville, Florida, the son of a Baptist minister.[1] He grew up in Vero Beach and Pensacola, Florida.[1] Carr attended Pensacola High School, and was a standout high school football player for the Pensacola Tigers. Following his senior season, he was recognized as a first-team all-state selection.
College years
Carr accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, where he was the center for coach Ray Graves' Florida Gators football team from 1964 to 1966.[1] Carr was the roommate of the Gators' Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Steve Spurrier before Spurrier's marriage in September 1966,[2] and was a team captain his senior year.[3] He was named a first-team All-Southeastern Conference selection and a first-team All-American in 1966.[3] Carr and the Gators concluded the 1966 season with a 27–12 victory over the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the 1967 Orange Bowl.
Carr graduated from Florida with a bachelor's degree in Spanish in 1968, and was later inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great."[4]
Professional football and military service
The New Orleans Saints selected Carr in the fourth round (106th pick overall) of the 1967 NFL Draft.[5] Carr signed with the Saints in 1967,[6] but had to fulfill his military service obligation before he could play.[1] When he returned to the Saints after two years in the U.S. Army, he did not make the final roster cut in the preseason.[1]
Coach, athletic director and consultant
Carr retired as a player and returned to the University of Florida in 1970 to serve as a football graduate assistant under head coach Doug Dickey while earning a master's degree in education. He then served as an assistant junior varsity coach and academic advisor while studying sports administration, and in 1974, he became an assistant to Florida athletic director Ray Graves.[1][3] Carr was promoted to the position of assistant athletic director in 1976, and when Graves retired in 1979, Carr was promoted to fill his position, making him the youngest Division I athletic director in the country at the time.[1]
While leading the University of Florida Athletic Association, Carr was credited with improving the athletic department's financial footing and sports facilities (including a major expansion of Florida Field and the construction of the O'Connell Center), setting the stage for future success and helping make possible the Gators' first conference football championship in 1984. However, he also oversaw a scandal which saw that football championship vacated for recruiting and other NCAA violations under head coach Charlie Pell.[7] Carr resigned in 1986 and was succeeded by Bill Arnsparger.
After leaving Florida, Carr served as the executive director of a youth advocacy group and a vice-president at Raycom Sports before returning to sports administration as the athletic director at the University of Houston from 1993 to 1997.[8] After leaving Houston, Carr founded and led an intercollegiate athletics consulting group for several years before semi-retiring to serve as an executive coach in 2020.[9][10]
See also
References
- Jack Hairston, "Bill Carr A Gator, 'Born and Bred,'" Ocala Star Banner, p. 6B (February 9, 1979). Retrieved February 9, 2010.
- Associated Press, "Spurrier Patiently Waits For Pro Football Contract," The Herald-Tribune, p. 16 (March 4, 1967). Retrieved June 24, 2010.
- 2011 Florida Gators Football Media Guide Archived April 2, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 87, 90, 96, 124, 174, 180 (2011). Retrieved August 27, 2011.
- F Club, Hall of Fame, Gator Greats. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
- Pro Football Hall of Fame, Draft History, 1967 National Football league Draft. Retrieved June 23, 2010.
- "Two Gator Linemen Sign Saints Pacts," The Palm Beach Post, p. D1 (May 28, 1967). Retrieved June 24, 2010.
- "Sports People: Carr Resigns at Florida," The New York Times (June 10, 1986). Retrieved June 24, 2010.
- Associated Press, "Sports People: Houston Hires Carr," The New York Times (April 17, 1993). Retrieved June 24, 2010. "Sports People: Gladchuk Leaves B.C. for Houston," The New York Times (July 19, 1997). Retrieved June 24, 2010.
- Carr Sports Associates, Associates, Bill Carr Archived May 2, 2009, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved February 9, 2010.
- "Bill Carr: CarrSports Consulting".
Bibliography
- Carlson, Norm, University of Florida Football Vault: The History of the Florida Gators, Whitman Publishing, LLC, Atlanta, Georgia (2007). ISBN 0-7948-2298-3.
- Golenbock, Peter, Go Gators! An Oral History of Florida's Pursuit of Gridiron Glory, Legends Publishing, LLC, St. Petersburg, Florida (2002). ISBN 0-9650782-1-3.
- Hairston, Jack, Tales from the Gator Swamp: A Collection of the Greatest Gator Stories Ever Told, Sports Publishing, LLC, Champaign, Illinois (2002). ISBN 1-58261-514-4.
- McCarthy, Kevin M., Fightin' Gators: A History of University of Florida Football, Arcadia Publishing, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina (2000). ISBN 978-0-7385-0559-6.
- McEwen, Tom, The Gators: A Story of Florida Football, The Strode Publishers, Huntsville, Alabama (1974). ISBN 0-87397-025-X.
- Nash, Noel, ed., The Gainesville Sun Presents The Greatest Moments in Florida Gators Football, Sports Publishing, Inc., Champaign, Illinois (1998). ISBN 1-57167-196-X.