Florida Gators
Stanford (Semi final)
Former Gators DL Kevin Carter got an instant taste of Florida-Tennessee rivalry
Tuesday, September 13, 2011 | Football, Women's Tennis, Scott Carter
The Gators are paying tribute to their tradition by naming a former player honorary captain for each home game this season.
Kevin Carter was the first honorary captain, serving that role in the season opener against Florida Atlantic.
Carter needs no introduction to longtime Florida fans. Before going on to play 14 seasons in the NFL -- leading the league with 17 sacks in 1999 -- Carter was a dominating force at The Swamp.
Carter helped the Gators win three SEC titles during his four seasons from 1991-94, and set a standard at defensive end that is difficult to match. He was a first-team All-American as a senior.
Soon after completing his UF playing career, Carter was the sixth overall pick in the 1995 NFL Draft – the first defensive player taken – and finished his NFL career by playing for the Tampa Bay Bucs in 2008.
In case you missed our Q&A with Carter in the Gator GameDay program, here it is:
Q: All these years later, what is a lasting memory that pops up during your time with the Gators?
A: I remember my true freshman year that I was one of two freshmen that were playing. We were playing Tennessee in a night game. Larry Kennedy was out playing corner and I was playing defensive end. I remember coming down on a kickoff return. I was really all hyped up. People always tell you that even in the big game, you've got to remember to relax and just play the game. You are not going to do anything out of the ordinary. I went out there on the first kickoff return and I went back to set my feet and get my block, and I don't know who it was, but this linebacker, he just simply ran through me. He hit me so hard that I went tumbling head over heels and rolling back. I can remember back there, 18 years old in this huge game, thinking to myself, 'Oh my goodness, I just got embarrassed.' At that point I had to remember to play football and do what I've always done. I remember watching the film and Coach [Charlie] Strong looked at me and said, 'Man, I thought you were going to have a horrible game after that first kickoff return. I thought you were going to get your block knocked off.' I ended up coming back and actually having a pretty good game. It turned out okay.
Q: You played against new Gator coach Will Muschamp in college and he was a defensive coach with the Dolphins in 2005 when you played for Miami. What do you remember about your time around him?
A: I was really impressed by his defensive knowledge. You come across a lot of defensive coaches who have all kinds of different philosophies and things they want to impart and accomplish on defense. But, I liked the soundness and the process-oriented approach he had toward defense. Defense is very much a chess game and the thing that makes you a really good chess player is to know the capabilities of your pieces. I was really impressed at how he connected the dots and put things together.\
Q: As someone who played in Will Muschamp's defense, what are staples of the system?
A: The staples of it are consistency, discipline and integrity. I know those are very broad terms when it comes to defense. Discipline is guys being wherever they are supposed to be whenever they are supposed to be there. The integrity is basically everyone taking their responsibility seriously and trusting the man next to them. I look for that consistency with that defense as the ability to go out there and execute no matter what anyone is throwing at you time after time after time. That's the mark of a well-coached defensive unit.
Q: You are now working in television. Give us an update on your TV career and is that something you considered during your playing career?
A: While I was playing, I did a lot of guest correspondent work and analyst work. I would go on local television affiliates that were carrying our games and I would always seek to establish a relationship and presence from a media standpoint because it was something I envisioned myself doing one day. It's something I had prepared for and I was confident once the time came when I wanted to choose this road.
Q: What can you tell us about your new job?
A: I'll be on SEC Gridiron Live. The show airs every Wednesday night on Fox Sports South at 10 p.m. I've got my wealth of knowledge of experience from football, but I also feel that by playing at the University of Florida, I've got a very unique experience to share. Plus, it's fun. What better job to have. I can't be on the field anymore but I can be close to the field. It's a wonderful opportunity and I'm overjoyed that job enables me to talk about my favorite school.
Q: Coach Muschamp likes to point out that what makes the SEC such a strong conference is the defensive line is as close to the NFL as any league in the country. What are your thoughts on that?
A: The SEC is known for its physical play and if you're someone who can thrive in those heavy, attacking, run positions, if you're someone who can exploit and be head and shoulders above the rest in that environment, naturally when you go on to the NFL, that is what they are going to look for. All the things that make you great in the SEC from a defensive lineman's standpoint are all the same things that can make you great in the NFL.
