Roderick Earl Carter (born October 10, 1966) is a former American football linebacker. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

at the University of Miami.

Early years

Carter attended Fort Lauderdale High School, where he was a starter at

outside linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...

. He accepted a football scholarship from the University of Miami, where he earned a reputation as one of the hardest hitters on the football team. As a freshman in 1985, he was named the starter at strongside linebacker midway through the season, registering 68 tackles (2 for loss), 2 sacks and one forced fumble. As a sophomore in 1986, was named the starter at weakside linebacker, registering 67 tackles (4 for loss) and 2 forced fumbles. As a junior in 1987, he was second on the team with 138 tackles (seventh in school history) and posted 3.5 sacks. He had 19 tackles against the University of Cincinnati. He was also a part of the school's second national championship. As a senior in 1988, he missed the first 2 games with a hamstring and a left knee injury. He regained full strength until midway through the season, recording 88 tackles (second on the team). He led the team with 11 tackles in the

1989 Orange Bowl The 1989 Orange Bowl was the 55th edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida, on Monday, January 2. Part of the 1988–89 bowl game season, it matched the independent and second-ranked Miami Hurric ...

. He finished his college career with 361 tackles (third in school history), 19 tackles for loss, 6 sacks, 4 passes defensed and 5 forced fumbles.

Professional career

Carter was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the 10th round (252nd overall) of the

1989 NFL Draft The 1989 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 23–24, 1989, at the Marriott Marq ...

. He was released on September 4. In November 1990, he had a try-out with the World League of American Football, but he was not signed by any team.

Personal life

In 1990, he was an assistant football coach at Coconut Creek High School. In 1995, he was an assistant football coach at Northeast High School. In 1997, he made national headlines in a case related to union violence. On August 7, Teamsters Orestes Espinosa, Angel Mielgo, Werner Haechler, Benigno Rojas, and Adrian Paez, beat, kicked and stabbed Carter who was a UPS worker at the time, because he refused to strike. Carter had previously received a threatening phone call from the home of Anthony Cannestro, Sr., president of Teamsters Local 769. The case was settled out of court.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carter, Rod 1966 births Living people American football linebackers Miami Hurricanes football players Union violence High school football coaches in Florida Players of American football from Fort Lauderdale, Florida