L.S.U. Standout Dreams of a Future in the N.F.L. By FRANK LITSKY PHILADELPHIA, April 28 — With his team-first attitude and his sheer speed, Xavier Carter is the kind of sprinter coaches dream about. In 2003, he traveled from his home in Palm Bay, Fla., to a high school meet in Arcadia, Calif. In a little more than two hours, against some of the best in the nation, he won the 100 meters in 10.38 seconds, the 400 in 46.72 and the 200 in 20.85 into a wind. Last month, after winning the N.C.A.A. 400-meter title in 45.28, Carter, a 20-year-old Louisiana State junior, was named the N.C.A.A. indoor track athlete of the year. Now he is running in the 112th Penn Relays and hoping to move closer to world-class status in track. He is also getting closer to the sport he loves the most: football. "I'm not a runner who plays football," he said. "I'm a football player who runs. I'm better in track now, but only because I've spent two years of football playing behind the more experienced Skyler Green." Carter's playing time was also limited by a broken collarbone as a freshman and a strained right hamstring as a sophomore. Green is gone now, so Carter, at 6-feet-3-inches and 198 pounds, hopes to be a kickoff returner, a punt returner and a starting wide receiver. "I love both sports," he said. "I'm better in track, but I prefer football. I love the contact and the aggressiveness. I think I can play in the N.F.L. and be a world-class sprinter at the same time." Just achieving both at different times would be notable. Bob Hayes, Willie Gault and Herschel Walker were sprinters who became professional football stars. Henry Carr and Renaldo Nehemiah were journeymen football pros. John Carlos and Frank Budd, among others, could not duplicate their sprinting success in football. Carter was asked to describe himself as a football player. He responded in the third person. "He's pretty good," he said. "He has not only elite speed, but size and aggressiveness. Good blocker. Can play outside. Good on square-in and deep routes. He can do anything, really." Carter, a sports-medicine major with a 3.3 grade-point average, wants to become a doctor or a trainer. "I think I could make it as a pro football player," he said. "I can make it as a runner. I'm taking life as it comes. I've just got more goals to accomplish in both sports." His immediate goals are to help L.S.U. win three relay championships here. On Friday, he helped the Tigers qualify in 40.10 for Saturday's 4x100-meter relay. On Saturday, he will run in the finals of the 4x100, 4x200 and 4x400. L.S.U. used substitutes Friday in qualifying for the 4x200 and the 4x400. Dennis Shaver, the men's track coach at L.S.U., said the fact that Carter did not have to make a career decision now was a plus. "It would be difficult to do both sports as a pro," Shaver said. "If you put money and time into preparation for track, you don't want to get hurt in pro football camp. And pro football camps start in July, at the midpoint of the pro track season. It would be tough for him to give up either sport, because once you give up a sport you can't go back. He's having a good time now. Good for him." NOTES
I expect awhole lot more out of x this year....a guy with that kind of speed you gotta find some way to get him the ball...
I've never heard him talk about himself before, very impressive guy! Here's hoping for a breakout season on the gridiron.
Great article! Thanks for the link. Makes me want it to be September 2... Hope he can help us currently get those 3 track championships!!
