Rick E. Carter

Rick E. Carter was an American football player and coach. Only 23 years old when he was named head coach at his alma mater, Earlham College (1967-1971) in Richmond, Indiana, Carter also served as head coach at Hanover College (1972-1976) in Indiana, the University of Dayton (1977–1980), and the College of the Holy Cross (1981–1985).

His 1980 Dayton Flyers won the NCAA Division III National Football Championship after a 14-0-0 season and a 63-0 victory over Ithaca (NY) in the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl - Division III Championship Game. He was named the AFCA College Division Coach of the Year in 1980. In 19 seasons he compiled a 137-58-7 record, before committing suicide after the 1985 season at the age of 42. Carter had been hospitialized for psychiatric treatment of depression. His father had died of cancer the previous August and his mother was terminally ill but friends claimed he was also upset about his lack of career advancement. In previous years Carter had been offered jobs at several major programs, but Holy Cross would not release him from his contract and those offers had stopped coming. He was survived by his wife and two sons.

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