Freddie Alton Carr (August 19, 1946 – February 19, 2018) was an American professional football player who played linebacker for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL) from 1968 to 1977.[1]
| No. 53 | |||||||||
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| Position: | Linebacker | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | August 19, 1946 Phoenix, Arizona, U.S. | ||||||||
| Died: | February 19, 2018 (aged 71) Phoenix, Arizona, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 238 lb (108 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Phoenix (AZ) Union | ||||||||
| College: | UTEP | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1968 / round: 1 / pick: 5 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Carr attended Phoenix Union High School, where he also competed in basketball and track, representing P.U.H.S. as a discus thrower and in the shot put. He was in the top ten discus throwers in the U.S. in his senior year.[2] He played for Phoenix College before transferring to the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) in 1965, where he was called "Probably the best overall linebacker in school history."[3] Fred was inducted into the UTEP Athletics Hall of Fame, September 23, 2005, and would later also be elected to the Phoenix College (PCAA) Hall of Fame in their inaugural class of 2007.[4]
Green Bay Packers
editCarr was the fifth overall selection of the 1968 NFL/AFL draft, taken by the Green Bay Packers. The Packers got this draft slot in the previous year's trade with New Orleans that sent longtime fullback Jim Taylor to the Saints. Some were surprised that the Packers, who already had a strong linebacking corps led by future hall of famers Ray Nitschke and Dave Robinson, chose him. General Manager Vince Lombardi (who retired as coach immediately after the draft's conclusion), however, considered him to be the best player in the draft, and one who could play a variety of positions, including linebacker, tight end, strong safety, and defensive end.[5]
Carr's professional career spanned ten seasons, all with the Packers. His final season was 1977; before the 1978 season, the Packers, by this time coached by Carr's former teammate, Bart Starr, waived him as the result of a deep conflict over how Carr's injured knee should be treated. He settled his dispute with the Packers in 1979 and signed with the San Diego Chargers as a free agent, but never played for them.[6]
Carr recorded his lone NFL touchdown on November 7, 1976, intercepting a Bobby Douglass pass in the third quarter and returning it 10 yards for a key score in the Packers' 32-27 victory vs. the New Orleans Saints at Milwaukee.[7]
Post-NFL life
editCarr had six children, and his nephew Terry Fair played in the NFL. Carr was named to the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame in 1983.[8][9] Carr died on February 19, 2018, after suffering from dementia and prostate cancer, at the age of 71.[10]
Carr was the second inductee into the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame from UTEP, following Jesse Whittenton, a defensive back on the Packers' 1961 and 1962 championship teams.
References
edit- ^ "Fred Carr Statistics". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved October 16, 2008.
- ^ "UTEP Centennial football team bios". El Paso Times. Archived from the original on September 5, 2014. Retrieved September 5, 2014.
- ^ "Hall of Fame 2005 Inductees". UTEP. Archived from the original on October 19, 2012. Retrieved September 5, 2014.
- ^ "Hall of Fame Members". Phoenix College. Archived from the original on September 5, 2014. Retrieved September 5, 2014.
- ^ Bud Lea, "Fred Carr is surprise pick by Packers", Milwaukee Sentinel, January 31, 1968. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
- ^ Cliff Christl, "Talented, fun-loving Fred Carr dies at age 71". Packers.com, February 21, 2018.
- ^ "New Orleans Saints at Green Bay Packers - November 7th, 1976". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
- ^ Christl, Cliff. "Fred Carr". Packers.com. Archived from the original on June 8, 2023. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
- ^ Richard Obert, "Fred Carr, former Green Bay Packers, Phoenix College, Phoenix Union standout, dies at 71". AZCentral, February 20, 2018. REtrieved June 4, 2020.
- ^ Obert, Richard (February 20, 2018). "Green Bay Packers great Fred Carr dies at 71, leaving legacy at South Mountain, in south Phoenix". The Arizona Republic.