How Michigan landed Anthony Carter

Submitted by Baughlieve on

Q&A by Dr. Sap with Bill McCartney at mvictors.com

SS: I heard that while you got AC’s mother to sign his Letter of Intent, getting his father to sign it was a little more involved. Did you and Bo actually go into the Florida Everglades to get Carter’s father to sign his LOI?
BM: Yes, it’s true.
SS: Bo literally rolled up his pant-legs, took off his shoes and socks and walked into the Florida Everglades to get Anthony’s dad to sign his Letter of Intent?
BM: Yes. (laughs!) The old man was foaming at the mouth to get AC!

Bando Calrissian

February 16th, 2015 at 11:10 PM ^

When said player is hands down the most talented guy on the roster, and the one around whom you're building an entirely new pass-friendly offense... 

Although the story as I've always heard it is one assistant tracked him down, got him on the phone with Bo from the airport, and Anthony went and got on the plane anyway. And his mother put him back on the plane the next day.

DealerCamel

February 17th, 2015 at 2:49 PM ^

After AC didn't show up for practice, Coach Thornbladh chased him through the airport and found him in the video arcade; he put him on the phone with Bo and presumably let him have it. 

Thorn asked AC what Bo said, and AC said, "Yeah, Bo said I could go home."  So he heads home, no problem.

Later, Thorn asked Bo why he told AC he could go home.  "I didn't tell him he could leave!" Bo hollered back.

Turns out AC was a bit homesick, and one rather crafty dude.

2manylincs

February 17th, 2015 at 1:09 AM ^

I would have taken number 8 on the list.
Reggie White, not bad.
I didnt recognize any others on the list, but thats crootin in 1980.
Kinda surprising purdue had a top 50 recruit. and not many lsu or alabama's, but i'm kinda surprised that it's pretty similar to a modern list.

M-Dog

February 17th, 2015 at 2:49 AM ^

It's scary when you look at the list of "Top 100 1980 recruits" and you realize that only about 10 of them are names you recognize.  

'Crootin was, and still remains, a crap shoot.

Although Steve Smith never made it as an NFL player, he was better at Michigan than people give him credit for.  He was the Marcus Mariota of his day.  He would kill it in today's offenses.

 

2manylincs

February 17th, 2015 at 4:00 AM ^

A rb as number 1 would just not happen today.
If Fournette was not a 1, a rb will never be in a modern offense.
This is a good observation on smith though.
Ive argued many times that antonio bass was the unluckiest mofo ever with RR and his injury, and I believe I have seen the argument here too.
A review of the top 100 will be interesting 20 yrs from now I'm sure.

M-Dog

February 17th, 2015 at 5:14 PM ^

He was not very accurate from the pocket.  Third and long was a problem.

That's why he would be good in today's spread systems that let him make a single pass read while on the move, and not try to sit in the pocket and make multiple reads.  He was good at that.

 

xtramelanin

February 16th, 2015 at 10:50 PM ^

we were getting worked on and i finally realized that he had legs that were as skinny as a deer.  heck of a ball player, but he didn't particularly look the part.

Unsalted

February 16th, 2015 at 10:58 PM ^

I was fortunate enough to know AC pretty well when he was in Ann Arbor. For all his talent, he was a very quiet and humble guy. Bo really loved him, and I believe it was AC's talent that led to Bo throwing the ball more. If Zeke was his host, that was an excellent choice. Zeke was one of AC's closet friends on the team.

AA_native

February 16th, 2015 at 11:07 PM ^

 

I had a paper route (delivering the ann arbor news when it was a real paper) and he and others on the team were on my route.  I don't remember what year it was, but he had an apartment on Pauline between Stadium & S. Maple.  I remember thinking it was strange that athletes lived so far from campus...but I was only 11 or 12 at the time.

 

Unsalted

February 17th, 2015 at 2:48 AM ^

AC finished in the top ten in Heisman votes 3 times.

  • 1980 - 10th; George Rogers, winner
  • 1981 - 7th; Marcus Allen, winner
  • 1982 - 4th; Herschel Walker, winner

Walker was also top ten those same three years finishing 3rd, 2nd and 1st. AC and Walker were the only 2 sophs to make the list those three years. Walker also made it as a freshman and won it as a junior.

AC was the only WR in the top 10 all three years.

123blue

February 17th, 2015 at 9:49 AM ^

My favorite Wolverine ever?  Yup.

I remember playing back yard football as a lil guy, pretending to be AC and yelling "BREAK AWAY JERSEY" before shedding tackles.

JamieH

February 17th, 2015 at 11:46 AM ^

back in 1981 or so on the corner of Liberty and Maple.  Well I should say my MOM did.  I stayed in the car--I was 9 years old.  She just ran in to get milk or bread or something.  Well, this normal sized dude pulls up outside and some people start chittering that maybe that's Anthony Carter.  My mom isn't a huge football fan, but she knows the name.  However this guy doesn't look like a football player at all, so on the way out she says something to him like "watch out, these people think you're Anthony Carter".  All he said was "I am!". 

 

When my mom got back in the car, as we were driving away all she did was ask me what state Anthony Carter was from.  Seems that the normal-sized guy going into the party store was driving a car with Florida license plates.  

 





I still haven't forgiven her for not going back so I could get his autograph.

2427_Couzens

February 17th, 2015 at 12:29 PM ^

I was a kid in this era, so I wouldn't have known the first thing about recruiting for college football then.  I just knew it was MICHIGAN and that's where the best players were.  It's so cool to peel back the layers of time to see this and look at how some things change and some things stay the same.

 

AC is why I have my #1 jersey, and I make sure everyone knows it.  No it's not Braylon Edwards.  It's not David Terrell, etc.  It's Anthony Carter and don't you forget it!

fungusamongus

February 17th, 2015 at 7:11 PM ^

AC is the only player I ever wanted an autograph from, and all these years later it is one of my prized possessions.

NOTHING will ever beat 100k plus chanting AC AC AC AC.

Gunga Galunga

February 17th, 2015 at 7:47 PM ^

I have a Panther jersey that he wore in a USFL game. I actually want to see if he wants it back. If he doesn't want it back, I would love to get it signed. Anyone know how to go about contacting him?