Kevin Carter (American football)

Infobox NFLactive
name=Kevin Carter
currentteam=Tampa Bay Buccaneers
currentnumber=93
currentposition=Defensive end
birthdate=birth date and age|1973|9|21
birthplace=Miami, Florida
heightft=6
heightin=6
weight=305
debutyear=1995
debutteam=St. Louis Rams
college=Florida
draftyear=1995
draftround=1
draftpick=6
pastteams=
* St. Louis Rams (1995-2000)
* Tennessee Titans (2001-2004)
* Miami Dolphins (2005-2006)
* Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2007-present)
status=Active
highlights=
* All-Pro (1999)
* Pro Bowl selection (1999, 2002)
* All-SEC (1993-1994)
* Consensus All-American (1994)
* Lombardi Award semifinalist (1994)
* Super Bowl champion (XXXIV)
* Rams MVP (1998)
nfl=CAR687111

Kevin Louis Carter (born September 21, 1973 in Miami, Florida) is an American football defensive end for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League. He was originally drafted by the St. Louis Rams sixth overall in the 1995 NFL Draft. He played college football at Florida.

Carter, (who earned a Super Bowl ring with the Rams in Super Bowl XXXIV) played for the St. Louis Rams from 1995-2000, the Tennessee Titans from 2001-2004, the Miami Dolphins in 2005-2006 and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2007.

Early years

Carter attended Lincoln High School in Tallahassee, Florida, and was a letterman in football and basketball. In football, he was a "Parade" All-America selection. Interesting note is that he was actually in the marching band until 1989, as a junior he started his first season of football, he played the saxophone in the Marching Trojan Band. Carter was a member of the school’s Crime and Drug Prevention Task Force and was named Student-Athlete of the Year as a senior.

College career

Carter attended the University of Florida and was a four-year letterman in football. He was a consensus All-American selection after his senior season, during which he posted 66 tackles and 11.5 sacks. Carter was also an All-SEC first team selection his junior and senior seasons.

Football News named him one of five finalists for its 1994 Defensive Player of the Year Award. He was a semifinalist for the 1994 Lombardi Award, presented to the nation’s top lineman. His 42.5 career tackles for loss and 21.5 quarterback sacks ranked seventh and fifth, respectively in UF history when he completed his career in 1994. Carter's 11.5 sacks in 1994 were then the third-best seasonal total in school history. He started 38 of his last 39 games at defensive end.

Carter served as president of the the UF chapter of Fellowship of Christian Athletes. In 2000 Carter was voted to the Florida Gator All-Century Team and in 2006 he was voted to the University of Florida Gator 100th Anniversary Team.

In 2004, was inducted into the University of Florida Sports Hall of Fame. [ [http://www.gatorfclub.org/hof/ Gator F Club.com] ]

Professional career

At the University of Florida "pro day" Carter ran a 4.66 40-yard dash at 274 pounds while recording a vertical jump of 36-1/2 inches. ["Miami Herald", April 14, 1995] He was drafted in the first round by the St. Louis Rams. He signed with the Rams for a reported $10 million over 6 years. [ [http://www.newspaperarchive.com/PdfViewerTags.aspx?
] ]

Since, Carter has played 13 NFL seasons and has totaled 100.5 career sacks, reaching double digits four times (1998-2000, 2002). He has never missed a game in the NFL, playing in 208 consecutive games. At 6-5, 300 pounds, Carter, a defensive end, has size to move to defensive tackle on passing downs, which he has done frequently in his career. Through the 2007 season Carter has earned just over $45.5 million in his thirteen NFL seasons. [ [http://content.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/salaries/playerdetail.aspx?lname=Carter&player=352&loc=interstitialskip USA Today.com] ]

t. Louis Rams

Carter was selected by the St. Louis Rams with the sixth overall pick in the 1995 NFL Draft. During his rookie year with he ranked second on the team and second among rookies with six sacks, while posting 50 tackles, two forced fumbles, one safety and one fumble recovery. He was named the Rams' Rookie of the Year. He recorded his first career sack when he dropped Brett Favre for a 10-yard loss in Green Bay (9/3/1995) He tallied first career safety when he sacked New York Jets QB Boomer Esiason in end zone (12/3/1995).

In 1998, Carter led the team in sacks with 12 and tied for sixth in the NFC, earning him the Daniel F. Reeves Memorial Award as the Rams’ Most Valuable Player.

His best season as a pro came in 1999 with the Rams when he tallied a career high 17 sacks which led the NFL and was the highest sack total by a Ram since Jack Youngblood collected 18 sacks in 1979. These efforts earned him a spot on the 1999 Pro Bowl team [ [http://www.pro-football-reference.com/misc/pb1999.htm Pro-Football-Reference.com] ] . He also became the first defensive end to represent the Rams at Pro Bowl since Youngblood in 1979. Carter was a consensus All-Pro selection in 1999, in addition to being named to the All-Madden and Phil Simms’ All-Iron Teams. The 1999 Rams defense, anchored by Carter at left defensive end, had the No. 1-ranked rushing defense in the NFL (74.3 ypg) and led the NFL in quarterback sacks with 57 (tied with the Jacksonville Jaguars).

Carter (7.5 sacks in the month of November) was recognized as the NFC Defensive Player of the Month and earned NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors in Week Eight vs. Carolina. He and his teammates ended the 1999 regular season with a 13-3 record and were Super Bowl XXXIV champions. Carter one of the Rams’ sacks in the Super Bowl XXXIV win over the Tennessee Titans.

In 2000 Carter totaled 10.5 sacks and started 13 of the 16 games he played for the Rams. In 2000, for the first time in his career, Carter moved to defensive tackle in the Rams' nickel defense, with Leonard Little playing the left defensive end position. After the 2000 season he was traded to the Tennessee Titans in exchange for a 2001 first-round draft choice on April 4, 2001.

Tennessee Titans

Carter was traded to the Titans in 2001 and continued the same stellar performances he had with the Rams. During his first season, he recorded 61 tackles and two sacks and led the team with 34 quarterback pressures. Carter had 10 sacks and was voted to his second Pro Bowl in 2002 and named second-team All-Pro by Football Digest.

In 2003, while started all 16 games, led Titan linemen with 79 tackles. He added 5.5 sacks, one forced fumble and a pass defensed. Played both end and tackle and was instrumental in helping Tennessee to the No. 1-ranked rushing defense in the NFL (80.9 yards per game), marking the second time in his career that Carter played on the NFL's top-ranked rushing defense. Although Carter did not gain any individual honors, his play was noticed by opposing NFL coaches. In December, 2003, "Pro Football Weekly" reported, "Patriots head coach Bill Belichick argued that DL Kevin Carter — who starts at the DLE spot and plays inside on passing downs — could be considered for league MVP." [ [http://www.profootballweekly.com/PFW/NFL/AFC/AFC+South/Tennessee/Features/2003/reynolds122203.htm Tennessee defense plays fine second fiddle] ]

In 2004 Carter started all 16 games for the Titans, however, seven were at his usual left defensive end position and nine were at left defensive tackle. Posted a career-high and team-leading 82 tackles while sacking the quarterback 6 times while recovering one fumble and forcing one fumble and batting away two passes. His contract was terminated by Tennessee on February 22, 2005, after earning $20.5 million in his four seasons with the Titans.

Miami Dolphins

Signed by Miami on March 7, 2005. In 2005 Carter started all 16 games at left defensive end for the Dolphins and totaled 54 tackles, six sacks, four passes defensed, one fumble recovery and one forced fumble. His sack total tied with David Bowens for second on the team. Notched the second safety of his career in win at New Orleans (10/30/2005) when he sacked Saints QB Aaron Brooks in the end zone.

The following season (2006) Carter again started all 16 games for the Dolphins, marking the sixth consecutive season that he started all 16 contests. Carter had 45 tackles, 5.5 sacks and two fumble recoveries. New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said this about the Carter and the Dolphins from four, "When they get to third down, they put Vonnie Holliday inside with Kevin Carter, and [David] Bowens and Jason Taylor on the edge, it's the best pass rushing group I think we've seen all year across the board. Every one of those guys can definitely rush." [ [http://www.allthingsbillbelichick.com/transcripts/2006/06dec07transcript.htm Bill Belichick Press Conference] ]

Carter's contract was terminated by Miami on March 2, 2007. Carter's release came after he was unable to reach an agreement on a restructured contract with Miami. [ [http://sports.aol.com/nfl-players/kevin-carter/3158 AOL Sports.com] ] Carter had earned $10 million in his two seasons with Miami.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Three days after his release by the Dolphins, March 5, 2007, Carter signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Carter played 16 games while starting 14 for the Bucs in 2007. He had 43 tackles and 3 sacks and 1 forced fumble in 2007. Was released on February 27, 2008, in what was described as a "cost-cutting" move. [ [http://blogs.tampabay.com/bucs/2008/02/carter-spires-c.html Bucs cut Carter, Spires; Carter could return] ] However, on March 25, 2008, Carter re-signed with the Bucs. He reportedly turned down a two-year deal with the Oakland Raiders to sign a one-year deal with Tampa Bay. [ [http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3299533 Reports: Carter chooses Bucs over Raiders] ] Carter had earned $5.2 million in 2007 with the Buccaneers and would have earned $5.8 million in 2008 ($3.8 million plus a $2 million roster bonus). [ [http://content.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/salaries/playerdetail.aspx?lname=Carter&player=352&loc=interstitialskip USA Today.Com NFL Salaries] ] Carter's agent stated, "It was big money he turned down (from Oakland), but he went with heart rather than the pocket". [ [http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3299533 ESPN.com] ] Carter has a chance to be the Bucs' starting left end in 2008, but he'll likely come off the field on passing downs. [ [http://www.tboblogs.com/index.php/sports/comments/kevin-carter-staying-in-tampa/ Tampa Tribune, March 17, 2008] ]

Personal

Carter is extremely active in community endeavors. He and his wife, Shima, established the Kevin Carter Foundation in 2002, which is an organization created to enrich the lives of children, focusing on youth and character development. One of Carter’s favorite quotes from his father is: “To whom much is given, much is expected” and he founded his organization on that principle.

For the past six years, Carter has hosted the “Waiting for Wishes” celebrity dinner and reception, where he and his teammates, along with Hollywood stars and musicians have come together to be the waiters and waitresses for dinner attendees. The annual dinner has generated thousands of dollars for the Make-A-Wish Foundation and the Kevin Carter Foundation. Carter was named the Community Man of the Year Award for three straight years by his Titans’ teammates, and while he was with the Rams, he was named a United Way African American Leadership Giver.

In 1998, Carter founded the Kevin Carter Football Endowment at the University of Florida, which provides scholarships to deserving college athletes.

References

External links

* [http://www.buccaneers.com/team/playerdetail.aspx?player=Carter,Kevin,93 Tampa Bay Buccaneers bio]