Kevin Louis Carter (born September 21, 1973) is an American former college and professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) for fourteen seasons in the 1990s and 2000s. Carter played college football for the University of Florida, and received All-American honors. A first-round pick in the 1995 NFL Draft, he played professionally for the St. Louis Rams, Tennessee Titans, Miami Dolphins, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the NFL.
Early years
Carter was born in Miami, Florida. He attended Lincoln High School in Tallahassee, Florida, and was a letterman for the Lincoln Trojans high school football and basketball teams. In football, he was a Parade magazine high school All-American. Carter was a saxophone player in the marching band until he started his first season of football as a junior. He 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 accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he was a four-year letterman for coach Steve Spurrier's Florida Gators football team from 1991 to 1994. During his four seasons as a Gator, the team won three Southeastern Conference (SEC) championships (1991, 1993, 1994).
In his freshman season, Carter played in eleven games and started two, and tallied fourteen tackles. Following his sophomore season in 1992, he was a second-team All-SEC selection and a Football News honorable mention All-American after compiling sixty-four tackles (thirty-eight solo), twelve forced quarterback hurries, 3.5 sacks, and six tackles for a loss. As a junior in 1993, he made fifty-nine tackles (11.5 for losses), 6.5 sacks, twelve pressures and blocked a field goal, and was recognized as a first-team All-SEC Selection.
As a senior in 1994, Carter was a first-team All-SEC selection and a consensus first-team All-American. Football News named him one of five finalists for its 1994 Defensive Player of the Year Award, and he was a semifinalist for the 1994 Lombardi Award, presented to the nation's top lineman. His 42.5 career tackles for a loss and 21.5 quarterback sacks ranked seventh and fifth, respectively, in Gators history. Carter's 11.5 sacks in 1994 were then the third-best seasonal total in school history. He started thirty-eight of his last thirty-nine games at defensive end.
Carter served as president of the University of Florida chapter of the 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. Carter was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great" in 2004.
Professional career
Pre-draft
At the University of Florida Pro Day, Carter ran a 4.66 40-yard dash at 274 pounds while recording a vertical jump of 36½ inches.
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams selected Carter in the first round (sixth pick overall) of the 1995 NFL Draft. He signed a contract with the Rams for a reported $10 million over six years.
During his rookie year with the Rams, Carter 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 quarterback Boomer Esiason in end zone (12/3/1995).
In 1998, Carter led the team in sacks with twelve and tied for sixth in the NFC, earning him the Daniel F. Reeves Memorial Award as the Rams' Most Valuable Player. He was also a Pro Bowl alternate.
His best season as a pro came in 1999 with the Rams when he tallied a career high 17 quarterback 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. 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 fifty-seven (tied with the Jacksonville Jaguars).