Indiana University Athletics
A.C. Carter - One Step Ahead
9/4/2002 12:00:00 AM | Football
September 4, 2002
Throughout his life, A.C. Carter has always been focused and determined for his next step. Whether that step has been in his family life, school life, or on the football field, he has made that step successfully.
The senior cornerback became involved early in football at the age of six, when he signed up to play in the Cincinnati, Ohio youth football league. From the first play from scrimmage, Carter knew that football would be in his future.
"After youth football, I went on to play junior high and high school ball and I loved every bit of it," said Carter. "I had to sit out my sophomore year with a broken ankle and being away from football killed me."
The broken ankle stalled Carter's football career, but did not hamper his dreams of playing collegiately. The quick-footed 5-9 senior had always aspired to play in the Big Ten Conference, especially because the majority of its schools were close to home.
"I really wanted to stay close to my family and the Big Ten was really the only conference that offered schools with good location and big-time style football. One characteristic about Carter that attracted IU to him was his speed. Carter was on all sides of the ball and played many positions at Princeton H.S., due in part to his speed.
During his senior season at Princeton, Carter rushed 77 times for 580 yards and three touchdowns in the backfield and also caught 10 receptions for 188 yards and two touchdowns as a receiver. On special teams, he returned six kickoffs for 246 yards (41.0 average) and recorded 105 yards on eight punt returns, while defensively he tallied three interceptions and recovered a fumble. Carter was also a member of the state champions 4x100 relay team as a sophomore.
Carter chose Indiana over Kentucky, Cincinnati and Purdue, stating that the campus was one of the influences Bloomington and IU had on him.
"I came to Indiana for a week and it was absolutely beautiful," he recalled. "I got a tour of the Student Union and was driven all around campus. I also remember being impressed with the library and how big it was."
Looking back now as a senior, Carter expresses his gratitude towards earning his scholarship and is thankful for the opportunity that he was given here at IU.
"I've always wanted to play in the Big Ten, but maybe most importantly, go to school in the Big Ten," said Carter. "Here at IU, I'm getting a quality education that will pay dividends towards my future. If I hadn't earned my scholarship to play football here, I'm not sure where I would be."
Not only is Carter impressed with the school, but he enjoys living in Bloomington as well.
"This atmosphere in Bloomington is so friendly," he said. "You can go anywhere around this town and run into someone you know. And a lot of times you have people you don't know saying "Hi" to you. Everyone treats everyone with respect here, which makes this a great town to live in."
Respect will be key this season as Carter operates under new defensive coaches and schemes. Throughout preseason practice, Carter remained optimistic about this upcoming season and notes that team chemistry will be crucial this year.
"We have so many new things this year-coaches, players and plays in general-that we have to come together as a team," he said. "It's a matter of every individual working hard and making improvements on this team, week in and week out, that will enable good things to happen."
Carter has proved to be a player with tremendous work ethic throughout his college career. Last year, after playing his first two years primarily as a special teams returner, Carter worked his way into the 2-deep at cornerback and then moved to safety later in the year. He recorded career highs in both solo and total tackles last year when he tallied 17 and 18, respectively, against Northwestern.
As far as his future his concerned, Carter is looking to cap off his collegiate career with an impressive season at cornerback this year. And unlike some of the receivers and backs that get tackled by Carter, he has is head on straight and is confident about his future, whether he plays in the National Football League or not.
"Sure I have hopes and aspirations of playing in the NFL some day, but if that doesn't happen, I know that I will be ready for the real world with the quality education that I have received here at IU."
