Former Colonel and NFL receiver Mark Carrier has returned back to Nicholls after a stellar football career to finish his requirements for graduation.
After finishing a 12-year career in the NFL as a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Cleveland Browns and Carolina Panthers, Carrier said he is ready to graduate with a degree in general studies in May.
“I started back in January. I just promised myself as well as my mom that I was going to finish what I started. This year seemed like the time since my kids are getting a little older and a little less dependent on me, ” Carrier said.
“My wife sacrificed a lot for me to come, and I want to get done with that part of my life and move on to other things.”
From 1983 to 1986, Carrier shattered many records during his tenure as a member of the Colonels football team. He is the Colonels’ all-time leading receiver with 2,709 receiving yards and 24 touchdowns. He also ranks third all-time in punt returns with 426 yards and two touchdowns.
In 1986, Carrier and former Colonels’ quarterback Doug Hudson spearheaded an offensive attack that led the Colonels to their first Division I-AA playoff appearance and victory.
Carrier said team togetherness stuck out the most from the 1986 Colonels football team.
“I think the closeness of the group is what stuck out. Even though some guys individually may have succeeded more than others, everybody did their roles and complemented each other very well,” Carrier said.
Hudson said he has many memories of his former teammate who scorched defenders with his speed and agility.
“Mark was fun to watch. He would turn a 5-yard pass into a touchdown. It was a great feeling for the whole team,” Hudson said.
Growing up in Church Point, La., Carrier said football was not even his most loved sport.
“My main sport was basketball. Every award I received in high school was from basketball,” he said.
Carrier said basketball initially played a key role in deciding if he would attend Nicholls, McNeese or Louisiana-Monroe after high school.
“I really wasn’t hesitant about taking any scholarship because my love was basketball. Basketball season had not started at that time, and my goal was to play basketball somewhere,” Carrier said.
“But just looking at the situation financially, if I didn’t take the scholarship, it might have been a financial strain on my mother.”
Carrier said he immediately knew Nicholls was the perfect place to attend college.
“I just felt like this place was for me. Being the position that I played as a receiver and the offensive scheme to throw the ball, I knew Nicholls was for me,” Carrier said.
After the 1986 season, Carrier was selected with the 57th pick in the third round of the NFL draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. At the time, Carrier said becoming a Buccaneer was a big shock.
“I pretty much knew I was going to the New York Giants because they had told me that they were going to draft me when it was their turn. Tampa really did not show that much invitation that they were interested in me. When they called me that morning, I was truly shocked,” Carrier said.
Being the down-to-earth country boy that he is, Carrier was attending class the same day he was drafted into the NFL.
“I had a calm day, and I went to class. One of my professors said, ‘Mr. Carrier what are you doing here, you’re in school and it’s Draft Day’,” Carrier said.
In the 1989-1990 season, Carrier said he had his best year in the NFL. He set Tampa Bay single season records in receptions with 86, yards with 1,422, touchdowns with nine, and 100-yard games with nine. He was elected to the Pro Bowl after the season.
For his NFL career, Carrier caught 8,763 yards, eight touchdowns, 569 receptions in 177 games.
In 1999, Carrier said he decided to end his football career after a 12-year run in the NFL.
“It was not hard at all. My goal was to play ten years and after ten years was up, I debated on whether I was going to play again. I played two more years, and when my twins were born in 1999, that is when I decided that was it,” Carrier said.
Being a veteran of the NFL world, Carrier has advice for athletes who dream to follow in his footsteps.
“The NFL is a very tough business. It is going to take a lot of work, and by no means is it easy. The constant pressure is everyday because any day you can get released,” Carrier said.
Heather Williams, family and consumer science sophomore from Donaldsonville and Carrier’s niece, said Carrier plays a special role in her life.
“My Uncle Mark has encouraged me in every aspect of my life. I’m not only excited he is here at Nicholls with me, but I’m even more excited that he plays an enormous part of my personal life,” Williams said.