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Bill Carr (American football)

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Bill Carr
Biographical details
Born(1945-11-29)November 29, 1945
Gainesville, Florida, U.S.
DiedFebruary 3, 2024(2024-02-03) (aged 78)
Alma materUniversity of Florida
Playing career
1964–1966Florida
Position(s)Center
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1972–1974Florida (assistant)
Administrative career (AD unless noted)
1979–1986Florida
1993–1997Houston
Accomplishments and honors
Awards

William Curtis Carr III (November 29, 1945 – February 3, 2024) was an American 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 was selected in the 4th round of the 1967 NFL/AFL Draft but first had to serve two years in the United States Army, after which he did not make a regular season NFL roster. Carr returned to UF as graduate assistant and assistant coach under head coach Doug Dickey in 1972 and, after earning his master's degree, joined the school's athletic administration in 1975. He became Florida's athletic director in 1979 at the age of 33, making him the youngest athletic director at a major university at the time. As head of UF's Athletic Association, Carr oversaw the construction of the Stephen C. O'Connell Center and a major addition to Florida Field while also presiding over major NCAA rules violations in the football program.

Carr resigned in 1986 and went into private business for several years before serving as the athletic director at the University of Houston from 1993 until 1997, when he retired and established a college sports consulting firm.[1][2] Carr died on February 3, 2024, at the age of 78.[3]

Early life

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Carr was born in Gainesville, Florida, the son of a Baptist minister.[4] He grew up in Vero Beach and Pensacola, Florida.[4] 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

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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.[4] Carr was a teammate and roommate of the Gators' Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Steve Spurrier for several years, and the two remained friends until Carr's death.[5][2] Carr served as a team captain during his senior year and was named a first-team All-Southeastern Conference selection and a first-team All-American after the season.[6] Carr concluded his college playing career in the 1967 Orange Bowl, which the Gators earned a 27–12 victory over the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.[2]

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."[7]

Professional football and military service

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The New Orleans Saints selected Carr in the fourth round (106th pick overall) of the 1967 NFL/AFL draft.[8] Carr signed with the Saints in 1967,[9] but had to fulfill his military service obligation before he could play.[4] He served two years in the U.S. Army, mainly in South Korea, and upon returning to the Saints, he was released during the final roster cuts before the 1970 season.[4][2]

Coach, athletic director and consultant

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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 master's degrees in education and sports administration. After serving as a graduate assistant, assistant junior varsity coach, and academic advisor for parts of three academic years, he concluded that his "heart wasn't in coaching" and joined the UF athletic department's administrative staff as an assistant to athletic director Ray Graves in 1974.[4][6][2] Carr was promoted to the position of assistant athletic director in 1976, and when Graves retired in 1979, Carr was promoted to replace him, making him the youngest Division I athletic director in the country at the time.[4]

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.[10] 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.[11] 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.[12][13]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Thompson, Edgar (February 4, 2024). "Former Gators' AD, All-American Bill Carr dies at age 78". Orlando Sentinel.
  2. ^ a b c d e Carter, Scott. "Remembering Gators All-American Center and Athletic Director Bill Carr". floridagators.com. University of Florida Athletic Association. Retrieved February 4, 2024.
  3. ^ Goodall, Zach (February 4, 2024). "'All-Time Great Gator," Former Florida OL, AD Bill Carr Passes Away". Si. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Jack Hairston, "Bill Carr A Gator, 'Born and Bred,'" Ocala Star Banner, p. 6B (February 9, 1979). Retrieved February 9, 2010.
  5. ^ Associated Press, "Spurrier Patiently Waits For Pro Football Contract," The Herald-Tribune, p. 16 (March 4, 1967). Retrieved June 24, 2010.
  6. ^ a b 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.
  7. ^ F Club, Hall of Fame, Gator Greats. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
  8. ^ Pro Football Hall of Fame, Draft History, 1967 National Football league Draft. Retrieved June 23, 2010.
  9. ^ "Two Gator Linemen Sign Saints Pacts," The Palm Beach Post, p. D1 (May 28, 1967). Retrieved June 24, 2010.
  10. ^ "Sports People: Carr Resigns at Florida," The New York Times (June 10, 1986). Retrieved June 24, 2010.
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ Carr Sports Associates, Associates, Bill Carr Archived May 2, 2009, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved February 9, 2010.
  13. ^ "Bill Carr: CarrSports Consulting".

Bibliography

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  • 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.
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