For former UTM quarterback Derek Carr, football has been more of a blessing than just a game.
Carr, the McKenzie, Tenn. native and son of Kenny and Jackie Carr, started his football career in Gleason, playing in a pee-wee league where he was coached by Jimmy Belew, the uncle of UTM’s Assistant Athletics Director of Athletic Training Services, Bart Belew.
After his early start, Carr went on to play at McKenzie Middle School and then at McKenzie High School.
Looking back on his time at McKenzie, Carr said there was one game that stood out more than others.
“The fourth round of the playoffs my senior year. We played Mt. Pleasant at home, and it was a close game,” Carr said. “They scored and were up, but we ended up going up 35-32, and I remember Clint Kee getting an interception and that ended up sealing the game for us. … We got the victory then went on to state.”
For many athletes, high school will be the highest level of competition they are ever a part of. Coming out of McKenzie, Carr was recruited by several schools, but said none were as serious about him as UTM. Ultimately, what helped Carr make his decision was UTM’s coaching staff.
“I know they say don’t go somewhere because of the coaches, because they come and go,” Carr said. “But [head coach Jason] Simpson said that he would probably be here for the time that I would be in school here. He held true to that and he’s still here and he’s built a great program.”
During his time at UTM, Carr became one of the most decorated athletes in not only school history, but in Ohio Valley Conference history.
Carr left the program holding several of the school’s all-time records with 69 touchdown passes (third in OVC), 8,484 yards of total offense (fourth in OVC), 665 completions (fourth in OVC), 8,428 passing yards (fourth in OVC) and 1,110 pass attempts (fifth in OVC).
Despite all of his individual success, Carr credits his coaches and teammates for helping him be as successful as he was during his time at UTM.
“It’s very much a blessing because [Simpson] gave me the opportunity and he also put me in a good offensive system to succeed. He surrounded me with a bunch of good players. … I couldn’t have asked for a better offensive line and then the receivers to go get it,” Carr said. “Like I said, it’s just a blessing because he made this team so good. The players he recruited made this place their Notre Dame and their Tennessee.”
In the classroom, Carr obtained his degree in Secondary Math, but said he would have loved to have been a Civil Engineer major. However, with his football schedule, he couldn’t take the proper classes.
Following the end of his collegiate career, Carr received an invitation to the New York Giants training camp.
“That was a great opportunity,” Carr said. “I was up there for three days and probably had four practices. I got to learn a lot of football. It was a blessing to get to go up there and experience that because a lot of people don’t get to.”
In early 2012, after leaving the Giants, Carr accepted a position as an offensive graduate assistant with the Skyhawks and returned to help coach the team he left only a few months earlier.
While Carr’s coaching career is still in its infancy, he intends on making a career of it. His long term goal, he said, is to become an offensive coordinator.
“I don’t see myself as being [head coach because of the politics that go with it],” Carr said. “I might change over the years, but I feel like I would be better suited to be a coordinator than a head coach.”
Out of all of the people Carr has worked with, he says Simpson has been very instrumental in his life.
“I had some days, back when I was playing, where I wasn’t really the best teammate or I made some bad decisions, and he just took me under his wing and guided me. It was like, ‘Look, this is what you’ve got to be.’ He just kind of guided me into that role and basically made me who I am today,” Carr said.
During his first season with the team as an assistant, the Skyhawks have recorded a 7-4 record with one game left this season. The team ranks third in total offense, passing offense and passing efficiency so far this season.
Some people see athletes and think that academics are an afterthought. However, for Carr, this isn’t the case.
Kelsey, Carr’s sister, is currently a UTM student as well. She is working on her prerequisites for pharmacy school.
Carr said that while students need to enjoy their time in school, they don’t need to forget why they’re there.
“Enjoy your college experience,” Carr said. “Do not let a day go by that you do not embrace the blessings given to you and the ability to further your education.”
