Quincy Carter facts for kids

Quincy Carter (born October 13, 1977) is a former American football player. He was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He also played for other leagues like the Canadian Football League (CFL). Before football, he played minor league baseball for the Chicago Cubs organization.

Early Life and High School Sports

Quincy Carter was born in Chicago, Illinois. He grew up in Decatur, Georgia. He went to Southwest DeKalb High School. There, he played both football and baseball.

In his final year of high school, 1995, he led his team to a state championship. He earned honors like Parade All-American. He was also named USA Today Georgia Player of the Year. He finished his high school career with impressive stats. He had 4,450 passing yards and 37 passing touchdowns. He also ran for 1,489 yards and 32 touchdowns.

Baseball Career

Quincy Carter first planned to play college football at Georgia Tech. But he changed his mind. The Chicago Cubs picked him in the 1996 MLB draft as an outfielder. He decided to play professional baseball instead.

In 1996, he played for the Gulf Coast Cubs. He hit .215 in 55 games. In 1997, he moved up to the Rockford Cubbies. He hit .211 in 105 games. He played a few more games in 1998 and 1999. After three games in 1999, he left baseball. He decided to return to college football.

College Football Career

Becoming a Georgia Bulldog

After playing baseball, Carter decided to play college football again in 1998. He chose to play for the University of Georgia. This was a big decision because he had first committed to Georgia Tech. The NCAA approved his move to Georgia.

He won the starting quarterback job. He was the first freshman quarterback to start for the Bulldogs in 53 years. His team finished with a 9–3 record. They also won the 1998 Peach Bowl.

Freshman Season Highlights

Quincy Carter had a record-setting freshman year. He set new school records for freshmen. These included 2,484 passing yards and 12 touchdowns. He was named Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Year. Many saw him as a top young quarterback.

In one game against Louisiana State University, he completed 27 of 34 passes. He threw for 318 yards and 2 touchdowns. He also showed he could run the ball. Against the University of Kentucky, he ran for 114 yards. This included a 49-yard touchdown run.

Sophomore Season Success

Carter had another strong season in 1999. He threw for 2,713 passing yards. He had 17 passing touchdowns and 5 rushing touchdowns. He also had only 6 interceptions. His low interception rate was a school record.

He had five games where he threw for over 300 yards. He helped his team score 48 points against Georgia Tech. He threw for 345 yards and 2 touchdowns in that game. Georgia finished the season with a 7–4 record. They won the 2000 Outback Bowl in overtime.

Junior Season and NFL Draft

His junior year in 2000 was tougher. He had some inconsistent games. He also got injured during the season. He missed the last four games due to a thumb injury.

Carter finished his college career with a 23–8 record as a starter. He decided to enter the NFL Draft after his junior season. He ranked second in school history for career passing yards (6,447). He also ranked high in other passing categories.

College Statistics

Professional Football Career

Joining the Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys picked Quincy Carter in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He was the 53rd player chosen overall. Many people were surprised by this pick. The Cowboys were looking for a new starting quarterback after Troy Aikman retired.

Carter was named the starting quarterback during training camp. He became one of the few rookie quarterbacks to start a Week 1 game in NFL history. He faced some injuries during his first season. He started 8 games that year.

2001 Season Highlights

A big moment in his rookie year was a 27-21 win against the San Francisco 49ers. He threw for 241 yards and two touchdowns. He also led the Cowboys to a 20-13 victory over the New York Giants. He threw the game-winning touchdown pass in that game.

He completed 90 passes for 1,072 yards and 5 touchdowns. He also ran for 150 yards. He had a 3-4 record as a starter. This was more wins than any other rookie quarterback in Cowboys history.

2002 Season Challenges

In 2002, the Cowboys brought in another young quarterback, Chad Hutchinson. Carter led the Cowboys to a comeback win against the Carolina Panthers. He threw an 80-yard touchdown pass to Joey Galloway. Then he threw a 24-yard touchdown to Antonio Bryant to win the game.

He lost his starting job after seven games. He completed 125 passes for 1,465 yards and 7 touchdowns. He also ran for 91 yards.

2003 Playoff Season

In 2003, Bill Parcells became the new head coach. Carter competed for the starting role again. He won the job and brought stability to the team. He led the Cowboys to a 10–6 record. This earned them a spot in the playoffs.

He had a career-high 321 passing yards against the New York Giants. He helped the team win in overtime. His best game was against the Carolina Panthers. He completed 29 passes for 254 yards and 2 touchdowns. This win helped Dallas have their first winning season since 1999.

Carter threw for 3,302 yards and 17 touchdowns in 2003. He became one of only 8 quarterbacks in Cowboys history to pass for over 3,000 yards in a season.

Leaving the Cowboys

Quincy Carter was released by the Cowboys in August 2004. He had started 31 games for the team. He finished his Cowboys career with 5,839 passing yards and 29 touchdowns.

New York Jets

In August 2004, Carter signed with the New York Jets. He was a backup to Chad Pennington. He started three games when Pennington was injured. He won two of those games. His performance helped the Jets make the playoffs.

He had good stats with the Jets. He completed 35 passes for 498 yards. He threw 3 touchdowns and only one interception. He was not re-signed after the season. He finished his NFL career with 6,337 passing yards and 32 touchdowns.

Other Leagues

After the NFL, Carter played in other football leagues.

• In 2006, he signed with the Montreal Alouettes in the Canadian Football League. He was released by the team in May.
• In 2007, he played for the Bossier–Shreveport Battle Wings in the af2 league. He was a strong passer for them.
• In 2008, he joined the Kansas City Brigade in the Arena Football League. He started the last three games of the season.
• In 2009, he signed with the Abilene Ruff Riders in the Indoor Football League. He was later released from the team.
• In 2015, he signed with the Corpus Christi Fury in the American Indoor Football league. The team stopped playing games in 2016.

Personal Life

Quincy Carter became a youth football coach in Georgia. He specializes in training young quarterbacks.

His college career at the University of Georgia has been remembered. Some rap artists have even mentioned him in their songs.

Quincy Carter has a son named Quincy Carter Jr. He also attends Southwest DeKalb High School. Carter is currently training young athletes at his quarterback school.

See also

• List of Arena Football League and National Football League players