Jimmy Carr (American football)
Encyclopedia
James Henry Carr is a former American football
player who played nine seasons in the National Football League
for the Chicago Cardinals, the Philadelphia Eagles
and the Washington Redskins
. Carr also played one season in the Canadian Football League
with the Montreal Alouettes
in 1958. He was the starting left corner with the Philadelphia Eagles
in 1960 when they won the World Championship beating the Green Bay Packers
. He played college football
at Morris Harvey (now the University of Charleston
) in Charleston, West Virginia
. While there he played in three bowl games and was one of three NAIA
Hall of Fame inductees in 1962. He also played high school football
and baseball
at East Bank High School
in East Bank, West Virginia
.
After retiring as a player, he served 24 seasons as an NFL assistant coach
for the Minnesota Vikings
, the Chicago Bears
, the Philadelphia Eagles
, the Detroit Lions
, the Buffalo Bills
, the San Francisco 49ers
, the New England Patriots
, and the Atlanta Falcons
. He also coached two years in the United States Football League
and three years in NFL Europe
. Carr was known as a defensive innovator implementing nickel packages, seven defensive backs, eleven man fronts, zone blitz schemes and special zones well before they came into common practice. Coaches who learned under his tutelage include Fritz Shurmur
, Jerry Glanville
, Floyd Reese
, and Bill Belichick
.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player who played nine seasons in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
for the Chicago Cardinals, the Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
and the Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
. Carr also played one season in the Canadian Football League
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
with the Montreal Alouettes
Montreal Alouettes
The Montreal Alouettes are a Canadian Football League team based in Montreal, Quebec.The current franchise named the Alouettes moved to Montreal from Baltimore, Maryland, in 1996 where they had been known as the Baltimore Stallions...
in 1958. He was the starting left corner with the Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
in 1960 when they won the World Championship beating the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at Morris Harvey (now the University of Charleston
University of Charleston
The University of Charleston is a private university in Charleston, West Virginia, United States of over 1,300 students.-History:The school was founded in 1888 as the Barboursville Seminary of the Southern Methodist Church...
) in Charleston, West Virginia
Charleston, West Virginia
Charleston is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is located at the confluence of the Elk and Kanawha Rivers in Kanawha County. As of the 2010 census, it has a population of 51,400, and its metropolitan area 304,214. It is the county seat of Kanawha County.Early...
. While there he played in three bowl games and was one of three NAIA
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics is an athletic association that organizes college and university-level athletic programs. Membership in the NAIA consists of smaller colleges and universities across the United States. The NAIA allows colleges and universities outside the USA...
Hall of Fame inductees in 1962. He also played high school football
High school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
and baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
at East Bank High School
Riverside High School (West Virginia)
Riverside High School is the second largest high school in Kanawha County, and is located in Belle, West Virginia, USA.The school opened in 1999 as a result of the consolidation of DuPont High School in Dupont City and East Bank High School in East Bank. Students from both of those former high...
in East Bank, West Virginia
East Bank, West Virginia
East Bank is a town in Kanawha County, West Virginia, along the Kanawha River. The population was 933 at the 2000 census. East Bank was incorporated in 1889 by special charter enacted by the West Virginia Legislature. It is so named because of its location east of Coalburg and the "bank" referring...
.
After retiring as a player, he served 24 seasons as an NFL assistant coach
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
for the Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
, the Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
, the Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
, the Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
, the Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, the San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
, the New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
, and the Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. He also coached two years in the United States Football League
United States Football League
The United States Football League was an American football league which was in active operation from 1983 to 1987. It played a spring/summer schedule in its first three seasons and a traditional autumn/winter schedule was set to commence before league operations ceased.The USFL was conceived in...
and three years in NFL Europe
NFL Europe
NFL Europe was an American football league which operated in Europe from 1991 until 2007. Backed by the National Football League , the largest professional American football league in the United States, it was founded as the World League of American Football to serve as a type of spring league...
. Carr was known as a defensive innovator implementing nickel packages, seven defensive backs, eleven man fronts, zone blitz schemes and special zones well before they came into common practice. Coaches who learned under his tutelage include Fritz Shurmur
Fritz Shurmur
Leonard Frank “Fritz” Shurmur was an American football coach who served as head coach of the University of Wyoming Cowboys from 1971 to 1974. He also served as the defensive coordinator for the National Football League's Green Bay Packers from 1994 to 1998.-Early life:Shurmur was nicknamed Fritz...
, Jerry Glanville
Jerry Glanville
Jerry Glanville is a former American football player and current head coach of the Hartford Colonials of the United Football League, former NASCAR driver and owner, and sportscaster in the United States. He served the head coach of the Houston Oilers from 1986 to 1990 and the Atlanta Falcons from...
, Floyd Reese
Floyd Reese
Floyd Reese is a senior football advisor for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. From 1994–2006 Reese held the position of general manager of the Tennessee Titans...
, and Bill Belichick
Bill Belichick
William Stephen "Bill" Belichick is an American football head coach for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. After spending his first 15 seasons in the league as an assistant coach, Belichick got his first head coaching job with the Cleveland Browns in 1991...
.