Bill Carr (American football)

William Curtis Carr, III (born November 29, 1945) is an American former college football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He played college football for the University of Florida, and was recognized as an All-American. He later served as the athletic director at the University of Florida and the University of Houston. Carr now works as a college sports consultant.

Bill Carr
Biographical details
Born (1945-11-29) November 29, 1945
Gainesville, Florida, United States
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
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 returned to the University of Florida as a graduate assistant in 1970, earned a master's degree in education in 1971, and served as an assistant football coach under the Gators' new head coach, Doug Dickey, from 1972 to 1974.[3] He became an assistant to athletic director Ray Graves in 1975, and was named the University of Florida's athletic director in 1979 at the age of 33,[1] and, at the time, he was the youngest Division I athletic director in the country. Carr resigned in 1986, and was credited with improving the financial footing of the Florida sports program;[7] he was succeeded by Bill Arnsparger. He later served as athletic director for the University of Houston from 1993 to 1997.[8]

Carr had his own firm, Carr Sports Associates, and provided intercollegiate athletics consultanting and executive personnel searches for coaches and athletic administrators.[9] This firm is credited with helping to shut down the UAB football program. [10]

See also

References
  1. Jack Hairston, "Bill Carr A Gator, 'Born and Bred,'" Ocala Star Banner, p. 6B (February 9, 1979). Retrieved February 9, 2010.
  2. Associated Press, "Spurrier Patiently Waits For Pro Football Contract," The Herald-Tribune, p. 16 (March 4, 1967). Retrieved June 24, 2010.
  3. 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.
  4. F Club, Hall of Fame, Gator Greats. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
  5. Pro Football Hall of Fame, Draft History, 1967 National Football league Draft. Retrieved June 23, 2010.
  6. "Two Gator Linemen Sign Saints Pacts," The Palm Beach Post, p. D1 (May 28, 1967). Retrieved June 24, 2010.
  7. "Sports People: Carr Resigns at Florida," The New York Times (June 10, 1986). Retrieved June 24, 2010.
  8. 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.
  9. Carr Sports Associates, Associates, Bill Carr Archived May 2, 2009, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved February 9, 2010.
  10. Birmingham News Retrieved February 27, 2017.

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.
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