Fredrick James Carter (born February 14, 1945), nicknamed "Mad Dog" or "Doggy", is an American former

professional basketball In professional sports, as opposed to amateur sports, participants receive payment for their performance. Professionalism in sport has come to the fore through a combination of developments. Mass media and increased leisure have brought larger a ...

player and coach, who played in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

(NBA) for eight seasons (

1969 1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1969th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 969th year of the 2nd millennium, the 69th year of the 20th century, and the ...

– 77) for the Baltimore Bullets,

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, also known colloquially as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlan ...

, and

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

. He also coached the Mount St. Mary's Women's Basketball Team for three years to a 60-32 record and three years of AIAW tournament play.

Early life

Carter was born on February 14, 1945, in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, one of four children. His father was a junk dealer and his mother a domestic worker. He attended Benjamin Franklin High School. He was All-public league in Philadelphia his senior year, playing center, averaging 17

points per game Points per game, often abbreviated PPG, is the average number of points scored by a player or team per game played in a sport, over the course of a series of games, a whole season, or a career. It is calculated by dividing the total number of poi ...

. He had decided to drop out and join the Army, but there was no one there to swear him in. Instead, he went with a girlfriend to visit Cheyney University for her freshman orientation. He realized he could compete in college and decided to finish high school.

College

Carter was recruited by fellow Philadelphian, and

College Basketball Hall of Fame The National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame, located in Kansas City, Missouri, is a hall of fame and museum dedicated to men's college basketball. The museum is an integral portion of the College Basketball Experience created by the Nation ...

Coach, Jim Phelan of

Mount St. Mary's College Mount Saint Mary's University, Los Angeles (known as Mount St. Mary's College until January 2015) is a private, Catholic university primarily for women, in Los Angeles, California. Women make up 90 percent of the student body. Founded in 1925 ...

(the "Mount"; now Mount St. Mary's University) in

Emmitsburg, Maryland Emmitsburg is a town in Frederick County, Maryland, United States, south of the Mason-Dixon line separating Maryland from Pennsylvania. Founded in 1785, Emmitsburg is the home of Mount St. Mary's University. The town has two Catholic pilgrim ...

. Phelan was scouting a Philadelphia high school all-star game in which Carter participated and won most valuable player. Phelan decided to recruit Carter for the Mount. Carter later applied and was accepted to the school in 1965, but had a concern. The school had only integrated in the early 1960s, and on his drive to the rural campus with Phelan, Carter asked how many black students attended the Mount. Phelan told him to look in mirror (he would be the only one). In fact, the school did not pose a serious problem for Carter. Fans at basketball games would chant "In Fred We Trust", and Phelan and his wife Dottie became Carter's surrogate parents on campus. But he faced obstacles when going to play teams in the American South. Among other things, during a tournament at Randoph-Macon College in

Ashland, Virginia Ashland is a town in Hanover County, Virginia, United States, located north of Richmond along Interstate 95 and U.S. Route 1. As of the 2020 census it had a population of 7,565, up from 7,225 at the 2010 census. Ashland is named after the L ...

, he was punched twice while retrieving his warmups at halftime. At

Hampden-Sydney College Hampden Sydney is a census-designated place (CDP) in Prince Edward County, Virginia, United States. The population was 1,450 at the 2010 census. Hampden Sydney is the home of Hampden–Sydney College, a private all-male college that is the tenth ...

, also in Virginia, he was called "every name in the book". On another trip, a restaurant refused Carter service, and the whole team walked out with him. The team's record during Carter's tenure was 81-27, with a Mason-Dixon Conference title. He scored 1,840 points, averaging 21.9 points and 11 rebounds a game. He was injured during part of his senior year after being poked in the eye.

Career

Baltimore Bullets

A 6 ft 3 in guard, Carter was selected by the Baltimore Bullets in the third round (43rd overall) of the

1969 NBA draft The 1969 NBA draft was the 23rd annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on April 7 and May 7, 1969, before the 1969–70 season. In this draft, fourteen NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college ba ...

. Bullet teammate, and fellow Philadelphian, Ray Scott gave Carter the nickname "Mad Dog" after Carter once bit Scott during a one-on-one practice drill. Carter played on Bullets teams that included future

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and pre ...

players Gus Johnson,

Earl Monroe Vernon Earl Monroe (born November 21, 1944) is an American former professional basketball player. He played for two teams, the Baltimore Bullets and the New York Knicks, during his career in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Both teams ...

, and

Wes Unseld Westley Sissel Unseld Sr. (March 14, 1946June 2, 2020) was an American professional basketball player, coach and executive. He spent his entire National Basketball Association (NBA) career with the Baltimore/Capital/Washington Bullets. Unseld ...

, as well as players like Jack Marin,

Kevin Loughery Kevin Michael "Murph" Loughery (born March 28, 1940) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. Loughery coached both Julius Erving and Michael Jordan, and gave Phil Jackson his first NBA coaching job. Early life Loughe ...

, and Scott. They taught Carter what was needed to be a successful NBA player. In the final game of the 1971 eastern conference playoffs against the Bullets archrivals, the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the Na ...

, with 68 seconds remaining and the Bullets up by two points, Carter hit a 20-foot jump shot that secured victory for the Bullets. The Bullets were so desperate to defeat New York, who had knocked them out of the playoffs the last two years, that with one minute left, during a timeout, coach

Gene Shue Eugene William Shue (December 18, 1931 – April 3, 2022) was an American professional basketball player and coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Shue was one of the top guards of the early days of the NBA and an influential figure ...

looked heavenward and prayed, "'Please, let us win this one.'" They did, 93-91, and the shot made Carter a hero in Baltimore. He had 14 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 assists in the victory.

Philadelphia 76ers

Despite the heroics, Carter was traded two games into the next season, along with Loughery, to the

for Archie Clark, a

1973 Events January * January 1 – The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 14 - The 16-0 19 ...

second-round selection (19th overall– Louie Nelson) and cash, on October 17, 1971. He averaged nearly 14 points a game for the Sixers that first year. The next season, he led the 76ers by averaging 20 points a game, but played for a team that has the worst single season win-loss record in NBA history, 9-73. Carter is sometimes remembered as the best player on the worst team. He has described the experience as a building block in life, teaching him how to get through hard times, staying motivated by the principles of respecting oneself and respecting the game. Carter played four more years for the Sixers, averaging 21.4, 21.9 (10th in the league), and 18.9 points per game; 4.8, 4.4 and 3.6 rebounds per game; and 5.7, 4.4. and 4.5 assists per game in the following three seasons. The 76ers reached the playoffs in 1976, where Carter averaged 28 points per game in three games against the

Buffalo Braves The Buffalo Braves were an American professional basketball team based in Buffalo, New York. The Braves competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference ...

. Carter was traded to the

for his final season, 1976-1977, when a severely sprained ankle ended his career. Over the course of his NBA playing career Carter scored 9,271 points, averaging 15.2 points a game, with a 42.5 field goal percentage.

Coaching

Mount St. Mary's Women's team

Carter came back to the Mount when he was hired to coach the women's basketball team in April 1978. He wound up putting in more time coaching than when he was a player. Phelan said Carter worked the women's team harder than Phelan worked the men's team. Carter took the team to a 19-12 record in the 1978-1979 season, and a place in the Eastern

AIAW The Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) was a college athletics organization in the United States, founded in 1971 to govern women's college competitions in the country and to administer national championships (see AIAW Cham ...

Division II tournament (coming in fourth); an 18-9 record in the 1979-1980 season (coming in third in Eastern AIAW Division II tournament); and a 23-11 record in 1980-1981 (coming in third in Eastern AIAW Division II tournament).

Coaching in the NBA

Carter later became the assistant coach for the

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Easte ...

(1981-1983),

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded on January 16 ...

(1984-1985), and

Washington Bullets The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays i ...

(1985-1987). He was an assistant coach for the 76ers from 1987 to 1992, and in the beginning of the 1992-1993 season before becoming the head coach of the Sixers for almost two seasons, from late-

1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...

to mid-

1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...

Basketball analyst

Following his coaching tenure with the Sixers, Carter began a successful career as a basketball analyst. He spent eight years at

ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...

and five years at

NBA TV NBA TV is an American sports-oriented pay television network owned by the National Basketball Association (NBA) and operated by Warner Bros. Discovery through TNT Sports. Dedicated to basketball, the network features exhibition, regular se ...

, before his retirement. During his time as co-host of '' NBA Tonight'' he was known for his claim of being "the best player on the worst team in NBA history."Kerby, Trey. "Fred Carter wants to remain immortal, if you don't mind," yahoo!sports, Wednesday, March 24, 2010.
Retrieved March 16, 2022.

Legacy

On December 1, 2007, Carter had his jersey, number "33", retired at halftime of the Mount St. Mary's v. Loyola College of Baltimore men's basketball game at Coach Jim Phelan Court in Knott Arena in Emmitsburg, Maryland. He was the first Mountaineer basketball player to have his number retired. Carter is also known for popularizing the "

fist bump A fist bump, also known as a bro fist, power five, a spud, or also commonly known as a safe is a gesture similar in meaning to a handshake or high five. A fist bump can also be a symbol of giving respect or approval, as well as companionship ...

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , align="left" , 1969–70 , align="left" ,

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

, 76 , , – , , 16.0 , , .358 , , – , , .690 , , 2.5 , , 1.6 , , – , , – , , 5.2 , - , align="left" , 1970–71 , align="left" ,

, 77 , , – , , 22.2 , , .417 , , – , , .650 , , 3.3 , , 2.1 , , – , , – , , 10.4 , - , align="left" , 1971–72 , align="left" ,

, 2 , , – , , 34.0 , , .222 , , – , , .333 , , 9.5 , , 6.0 , , – , , – , , 7.5 , - , align="left" , 1971–72 , align="left" ,

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, 77 , , – , , 27.9 , , .444 , , – , , .630 , , 4.0 , , 2.6 , , – , , – , , 13.8 , - , align="left" , 1972–73 , align="left" ,

, 81 , , – , , 37.0 , , .421 , , – , , .704 , , 6.0 , , 4.3 , , – , , – , , 20.0 , - , align="left" , 1973–74 , align="left" ,

, 78 , , – , , 39.0 , , .430 , , – , , .709 , , 4.8 , , 5.7 , , 1.4 , , 0.3 , , 21.4 , - , align="left" , 1974–75 , align="left" ,

, 77 , , – , , 39.6 , , .447 , , – , , .738 , , 4.4 , , 4.4 , , 1.1 , , 0.3 , , 21.9 , - , align="left" , 1975–76 , align="left" ,

, 82 , , – , , 36.5 , , .417 , , – , , .702 , , 3.6 , , 4.5 , , 1.7 , , 0.2 , , 18.9 , - , align="left" , 1976–77 , align="left" ,

, 14 , , – , , 16.9 , , .426 , , – , , .526 , , 1.7 , , 1.5 , , 0.8 , , 0.1 , , 6.9 , - , align="left" , 1976–77 , align="left" ,

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

, 47 , , – , , 18.6 , , .416 , , – , , .753 , , 2.0 , , 2.2 , , 0.6 , , 0.1 , , 8.3 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 611 , , – , , 30.0 , , .425 , , – , , .693 , , 3.9 , , 3.5 , , 1.2 , , 0.2 , , 15.2

Playoffs

, - , align="left" , 1969–70 , align="left" ,

, 7 , , – , , 36.1 , , .383 , , – , , .607 , , 4.4 , , 3.4 , , – , , – , , 14.1 , - , align="left" , 1970–71 , align="left" ,

, 18 , , – , , 33.2 , , .415 , , – , , .644 , , 4.6 , , 2.0 , , – , , – , , 14.6 , - , align="left" , 1975–76 , align="left" ,

, 3 , , – , , 41.7 , , .433 , , – , , .867 , , 3.3 , , 5.0 , , 1.3 , , 0.3 , , 28.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 28 , , – , , 34.8 , , .410 , , – , , .687 , , 4.4 , , 2.7 , , 1.3 , , 0.3 , , 15.9

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carter, Fred 1945 births Living people American men's basketball coaches American men's basketball players American women's basketball coaches Atlanta Hawks assistant coaches Baltimore Bullets (1963–1973) draft picks Baltimore Bullets (1963–1973) players Basketball coaches from Pennsylvania Basketball players from Pennsylvania Basketball players from Philadelphia Chicago Bulls assistant coaches Dallas Chaparrals draft picks Guards (basketball) Milwaukee Bucks players Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers men's basketball players Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers women's basketball coaches NBA broadcasters Philadelphia 76ers assistant coaches Philadelphia 76ers head coaches Philadelphia 76ers players Small forwards Washington Bullets assistant coaches