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Fred Carter

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For other people named Fred Carter, see Fred Carter (disambiguation).

Fred Carter
Carter in 1969
Personal information
Born (1945-02-14) February 14, 1945 (age 79)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Listed weight185 lb (84 kg)
Career information
High schoolFranklin
(Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
CollegeMount St. Mary's (1965–1969)
NBA draft1969: 3rd round, 43rd overall pick
Selected by the Baltimore Bullets
Playing career1969–1977
PositionGuard / small forward
Number3, 5
Coaching career1978–1994
Career history
As player:
1969–1971Baltimore Bullets
1971–1976Philadelphia 76ers
1976–1977Milwaukee Bucks
As coach:
1978–1981Mount St. Mary's (women's)
1981–1983Atlanta Hawks (assistant)
1983–1985Chicago Bulls (assistant)
1985–1987Washington Bullets (assistant)
1987–1993Philadelphia 76ers (assistant)
1993–1994Philadelphia 76ers
Career statistics
Points9,271 (15.2 ppg)
Rebounds2,381 (3.9 rpg)
Assists2,122 (3.5 apg)
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Fredrick James Carter (born February 14, 1945), nicknamed "Mad Dog" or "Doggy",[1][2] is an American former professional basketball player and coach, who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for eight seasons (1969–77) for the Baltimore Bullets, Philadelphia 76ers, and Milwaukee Bucks.[2] He also coached the Mount St. Mary's Women's Basketball Team for three years to a 60-32 record and three years of AIAW tournament play.

Early life

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Carter was born on February 14, 1945, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, one of four children. His father was a junk dealer and his mother a domestic worker. He attended Benjamin Franklin High School.[3][2] He had decided to drop out and join the Army, but there was no one there to swear him in. Instead, he went with a girlfriend to visit Cheyney University for her freshman orientation. He realized he could compete in college and decided to finish high school.[1]

Carter was recruited by fellow Philadelphian, and College Basketball Hall of Fame Coach, Jim Phelan of Mount St. Mary's College (the "Mount"; now Mount St. Mary's University) in Emmitsburg, Maryland. Phelan was scouting a Philadelphia high school all-star game in which Carter participated and won most valuable player. Phelan decided to recruit Carter for the Mount. Carter later applied and was accepted to the school in 1965, but had a concern. The school had only integrated in the early 1960s, and on his drive to the rural campus with Phelan, Carter asked how many black students attended the Mount. Phelan told him to look in mirror (he would be the only one).[4]

In fact, the school did not pose a serious problem for Carter. Fans at basketball games would chant "In Fred We Trust", and Phelan and his wife Dottie became Carter's surrogate parents on campus. But he faced obstacles when going to play teams in the American South. Among other things, during a tournament at Randoph-Macon College in Ashland, Virginia, he was punched twice while retrieving his warmups at halftime.[4] At Hampden-Sydney College, also in Virginia, he was called "every name in the book". On another trip, a restaurant refused Carter service, and the whole team walked out with him.[5]

The team's record during Carter's tenure was 81-27, with a Mason-Dixon Conference title. He scored 1,840 points, averaging 21.9 points and 11 rebounds a game. He was injured during part of his senior year after being poked in the eye.[5][6]

Career

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Baltimore Bullets

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A 6' 3" guard, Carter was selected by the Baltimore Bullets in the third round (43rd overall) of the 1969 NBA draft.[3][5] Bullet teammate, and fellow Philadelphian, Ray Scott gave Carter the nickname "Mad Dog" after Carter once bit Scott during a one-on-one practice drill.[5] Carter played on Bullets teams that included future Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame players Gus Johnson, Earl Monroe, and Wes Unseld, as well as players like Jack Marin, Kevin Loughery, and Scott.[5] They taught Carter what was needed to be a successful NBA player.[1]

In the final game of the 1971 eastern conference playoffs against the Bullets archrivals, the New York Knicks, with 68 seconds remaining and the Bullets up by two points, Carter hit a 20-foot jump shot that secured victory for the Bullets. The Bullets were so desperate to defeat New York, who had knocked them out of the playoffs the last two years,[7][8] that with one minute left, during a timeout, coach Gene Shue looked heavenward and prayed, "'Please, let us win this one.'" They did, 93-91, and the shot made Carter a hero in Baltimore. He had 14 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 assists in the victory.[5][9]

Philadelphia 76ers

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Despite the heroics, Carter was traded two games into the next season, along with Loughery, to the Philadelphia 76ers for Archie Clark, a 1973 second-round selection (19th overall–Louie Nelson) and cash on October 17, 1971.[1][10][11] He averaged nearly 14 points a game for the Sixers that first year.[2] The next season, he led the 76ers by averaging 20 points a game,[2] but played for a team that has the worst single season won-lost record in NBA history, 9-73.[3] Carter is sometimes remembered as the best player on the worst team. He has described the experience as a building block in life, teaching him how to get through hard times, staying motivated by the principles of respecting oneself and respecting the game.[1]

Carter played four more years for the Sixers, averaging 21.4, 21.9 (10th in the league), and 18.9 points per game; 4.8, 4.4 and 3.6 rebounds per game; and 5.7, 4.4. and 4.5 assists per game in the following three seasons. The 76ers reached the playoffs in 1976, where Carter averaged 28 points per game in three games against the Buffalo Braves. Carter was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks for his final season, 1976-1977, when a severely sprained ankle ended his career.[3][4][2][12]

Over the course of his NBA playing career Carter scored 9,271 points, averaging 15.2 points a game, with a 42.5 field goal percentage.[2][4]

Coaching

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Mount St. Mary's Women's team

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Carter came back to the Mount when he was hired to coach the women's basketball team in April 1978. He wound up putting in more time coaching than when he was a player. Phelan said Carter worked the women's team harder than Phelan worked the men's team. Carter took the team to a 19-12 record in the 1978-1979 season, and a place in the Eastern AIAW Division II tournament (came in fourth); an 18-9 record in the 1979-1980 season (came in third in Eastern AIAW Division II tournament); and a 23-11 record in 1980-1981 (came in third in Eastern AIAW Division II tournament).[12][13]

Coaching in the NBA

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Carter later became the assistant coach for the Atlanta Hawks (1981-1983), Chicago Bulls (1984-1985), and Washington Bullets (1985-1987). He was an assistant coach for the 76ers from 1987 to 1992, and in the beginning of the 1992-1993 season before becoming the head coach of the Sixers for almost two seasons, from late-1992 to mid-1994.[14][5]

Basketball analyst

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Following his coaching tenure with the Sixers, Carter began a successful career as a basketball analyst. He spent eight years at ESPN and five years at NBA TV, before his retirement.[5] During his time as co-host of NBA Tonight he was known for his claim of being "the best player on the worst team in NBA history."[15]

Legacy

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On December 1, 2007, Carter had his jersey, number "33", retired at halftime of the Mount St. Mary's v. Loyola College of Baltimore men's basketball game at Coach Jim Phelan Court in Knott Arena in Emmitsburg, Maryland. He was the first Mountaineer basketball player to have his number retired.[6]

Carter is also known for popularizing the "fist bump."[16]

NBA career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

Regular season

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1969–70 Baltimore 76 – 16.0 .358 – .690 2.5 1.6 – – 5.2
1970–71 Baltimore 77 – 22.2 .417 – .650 3.3 2.1 – – 10.4
1971–72 Baltimore 2 – 34.0 .222 – .333 9.5 6.0 – – 7.5
1971–72 Philadelphia 77 – 27.9 .444 – .630 4.0 2.6 – – 13.8
1972–73 Philadelphia 81 – 37.0 .421 – .704 6.0 4.3 – – 20.0
1973–74 Philadelphia 78 – 39.0 .430 – .709 4.8 5.7 1.4 0.3 21.4
1974–75 Philadelphia 77 – 39.6 .447 – .738 4.4 4.4 1.1 0.3 21.9
1975–76 Philadelphia 82 – 36.5 .417 – .702 3.6 4.5 1.7 0.2 18.9
1976–77 Philadelphia 14 – 16.9 .426 – .526 1.7 1.5 0.8 0.1 6.9
1976–77 Milwaukee 47 – 18.6 .416 – .753 2.0 2.2 0.6 0.1 8.3
Career 611 – 30.0 .425 – .693 3.9 3.5 1.2 0.2 15.2

Playoffs

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1969–70 Baltimore 7 – 36.1 .383 – .607 4.4 3.4 – – 14.1
1970–71 Baltimore 18 – 33.2 .415 – .644 4.6 2.0 – – 14.6
1975–76 Philadelphia 3 – 41.7 .433 – .867 3.3 5.0 1.3 0.3 28.0
Career 28 – 34.8 .410 – .687 4.4 2.7 1.3 0.3 15.9

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Perner, Mark (March 14, 2016). "9–73 Sixers don't define Fred Carter". inquirer.com. Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "Fred Carter Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d Caldwell, Dave (March 27, 2023). "'A slow motion nightmare season': Mad Dog Carter and the NBA's worst-ever team". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d "Mount legend and NBA veteran, Fred Carter". w.emmitsburg.net. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h Klingaman, Mike (February 15, 2013). "Catching Up With ... Fred Carter". Baltimore Sun.
  6. ^ a b Goldberg, Stan (December 3, 2007). "MSM retires Fred Carter's jersey". The Frederick News-Post. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
  7. ^ "1969 NBA Playoffs Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
  8. ^ "1970 NBA Playoffs Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
  9. ^ "1971 NBA Eastern Conference Finals Game 7: Bullets vs Knicks, April 19, 1971". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
  10. ^ "76ers Deal Clark to Bullets For Loughery and Carter," The Associated Press (AP), Sunday, October 17, 1971. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  11. ^ 1973 NBA Draft Pick Transactions, April 24 – Pro Sports Transactions. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  12. ^ a b Williamson, Nancy (March 5, 1979). "Mad Dog Used To Be One Of The Most Charged-Up Players In The NBA, But Now Fred Carter Gets His Kicks As the Successful Coach Of His Alma Mater's Women's Team". Sports Illustrated.
  13. ^ "Mount St. Mary's Women's Basketball Record Book, The Mount, Women's Basketball," (PDF). Mount St. Mary's University. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
  14. ^ "Fred Carter". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
  15. ^ Kerby, Trey. "Fred Carter wants to remain immortal, if you don't mind," yahoo!sports, Wednesday, March 24, 2010. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  16. ^ Kennedy, Pagan (October 26, 2012). "Who Made That Fist Bump". nytimes.com. The New York Times Magazine. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 15, 2019.
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