CHICAGO — The more respect Tyrone Carter gets for his defensive prowess, the more it seems Number 22 might better be known as “Catch-22” — at least to the media.
Given the moniker “Touchdown Tyrone” by his teammates in high school, where he scored a dazzling 23 times his senior year, the Gophers football All-American has since established himself in college as being one of the nation’s best at keeping people from the endzone.
So what nickname or title does one use to describe the complete game of the 5-foot-9-inch, 184-pound Carter?
Gophers coach Glen Mason offered a simple explanation of his defensive star Tuesday at the annual Big Ten Football Kickoff Luncheon: “Pound for pound, Tyrone is as good a football player as there is.”
Carter, one of 22 players and 11 head coaches representing all 11 Big Ten schools at the luncheon, was recognized Tuesday by several coaches and sportswriters as being a top candidate for Big Ten defensive player of the year.
“It’s hard to assign a blocker to a secondary guy,” Wisconsin coach Barry Alvarez said. “It’s hard to get somebody to get a hat on him. He’s a good player; I’ve never seen a secondary guy make as many tackles as he does.”
Carter averaged 14 tackles per game in 1998, which lead the Big Ten, and notched eight sacks, both outstanding numbers for a defensive back. The Pompano Beach, Fla., native is already the Gophers’ career leader in solo tackles and has a great chance this year to break the school and Big Ten records for career total tackles.
But although Carter has made his living as the Gophers’ maroon and gold stop sign, the strong safety has also excelled as a kickoff returner. He broke the team record in 1997 for kickoff return average (26.8 yards) and finished last season with a near-repeat performance (26.7 yards) and one return for a touchdown.
Carter insists that his impressive numbers start with his own desire to raise both his, and his teammates’ level of play. That being said, Carter is sufficiently motivated heading into his final campaign.
“This is my last year, so it’s going to be more exciting,” Carter said. “I’m running out of time, and just like I tell my teammates, ‘You never know when your season may end and you can’t play football again, so you just got to enjoy it and go out there and have fun.'”
For Carter, having fun isn’t just dishing out crushing tackles or winning football games. And he said that he has had no problems being a consistent winner on a team that doesn’t often win. He said that his team wins and loses together, the product of which forms an unbreakable tie.
“Coming to Minnesota I learned that winning isn’t everything,” Carter said. “It taught me to become closer to my teammates, which you are going to carry on throughout your life.
“Games, you can’t bring back,” he added, “but your friendships can always stay for a lifetime. We might not have been successful on the field, but we got successful with one another, got closer to one another.”
Mason pointed out at the luncheon that the Gophers are closer to being winners and that he expects to have the school’s first winning season since 1990, when the team went 6-5. With the emerging stardom of Carter and without having Michigan and Michigan State on the schedule, Mason said the players are more optimistic then he has ever seen them.
However, Ohio State coach John Cooper said the overall strength of the conference this year is the best he’s seen in his 12 years with the Buckeyes.
Carter is not conceding that the 1999 season will be another for the school’s loss column. But he maintained that his final year will be successful regardless of on-field victories.
“As long as I know I’ve been an inspiration to somebody’s life, maybe turned them around or changed the way they play, I appreciate that more than just winning,” Carter said.
Mason said that it will take another big year from Carter to elevate the Gophers into a winner, but that his strong safety has already won a lot of respect for the entire team.
“I’m going to sing Tyrone Carter’s praises because I believe what kind of player he is,” Mason said. “But it’s amazing to me, you go to any other head coach in this room, they know Tyrone Carter. They respect Tyrone Carter. He’s a heck of a football player.”
Whatever label one might choose to place on Carter, one thing seems certain: To know Tyrone Carter today as “Touchdown Tyrone” is to know only a fraction of the man.
— Staff reporter Nick Doty contributed to this article.