Former Buccaneer WR Mark Carrier by Denis Crawford The most feared man on the Tampa Bay Buccaneer roster in the late 1980’s stood barely 6 feet tall and weighed 185 lbs. A relatively unknown receiver out of tiny Nicholls State (Louisiana), this 3rd round draft choice’s work ethic, quiet demeanor and high level of production made him a fan favorite and a Buccaneer legend. More than twenty years later, the Buccaneers are still looking for another Mark Carrier. Recently, Bucpower caught up with Mark Carrier and spoke with him about his memorable playing career and the work he is doing with the youth of Tampa Bay. Mark Carrier came to the Buccaneers with little in the way of fanfare. A column in the St. Petersburg Times portrayed the selection of the Nicholls State product as questionable at best, with some scouting organizations projecting him as a ninth round draft choice. The main knock against Carrier was that at Nicholls State he wasn’t exposed to top-flight competition. More than 20 years later Carrier is still mystified by those opinions. “I’ve said this before to a number of guys that have played at that level (Division I-AA),” Carrier explained. “When you are talking about the skill positions, receivers, backs, defensive backs, often times we are very, very similar skill wise. In my case, like a lot of people who have played at that level then went on to play pro ball, it wasn’t that I wasn’t good enough to play Division I, it’s that I came from a school that graduated just 91 people. That’s almost two classes in high school now. So schools like Nicholls State were able to get those jewels so to speak. The greatest wide receiver to ever play, Jerry Rice, played at that level (Mississippi Valley State).” Motivated to show he belonged in the NFL, Carrier first had to overcome the awe of being drafted and taking part in an infamous training camp. “It was a shock because it was not like I grew up anticipating going to the pros,” a humble Carrier recalls. “There was nobody in the small town where I grew up that had done that. It was a true blessing that I was able to make it a career.” Before his career started, Carrier and the rest of the class of 1987 were introduced to their first NFL training camp by new Buccaneer coach Ray Perkins. Perkins, eager to discard the remnants of the Leeman Bennett regime, instituted a three-a-day practice schedule. While some pundits scoffed, Perkins’ plan did succeed in changing the mindset of the team. No longer a group of pushovers; the Buccaneers were a hardened if raw team of hungry young players in 1987. “It wasn’t what I thought the NFL was, I can tell you that,” Carrier says of his initial training camp. “Growing up watching the NFL on television, growing up in Louisiana watching the Saints and their interviews on television, you didn’t see that level of work so it was a culture shock for me. I didn’t anticipate the work as it was. That was a rarity because not every NFL ball club did that (three-a-days).” “I think Coach Perkins had a plan and his plan was to start everything fresh and see who wanted to play and work through it and wean some people out. It was tough, it was really, really tough. But I realized then that once I made it through my rookie year training camp everything else was going to be a lot easier.” The 1987 Bucs were known for a series of late-game collapses, and it has been debated if the strenuous training camp was the culprit. Carrier thinks too much has been made of the effects of the camp and points out the entire NFL got a reluctant four week “bye” after Week Two. “You have to understand that my rookie year we had the strike,” Carrier said. “It came right after training camp. Everybody was tired at the end of training camp, but we had the opportunity once the strike came to in essence regain ourselves and rest a little bit.” If the team was tired, they didn’t show it in the season opener, a 48-10 beat down of the Atlanta Falcons. Carrier caught his first NFL touchdown in that contest, a two-yard pass from Steve DeBerg. But then Carrier and the rest of his teammates walked away in solidarity with the union. At first glance it would appear Carrier would have been unduly hurt by the strike. As a third round draft choice, Carrier didn’t command a large salary or signing bonus. However, Carrier displayed a maturity and work ethic that illustrated all the lessons he had learned as a boy from his mother. “To be quite honest, I grew up raised by my mom and I watched her,” Carrier said. “I saw her W-2 at the end of the year and she made roughly $11,000 a year. You never would have known that because we never did without. You can’t miss something you don’t have.” “So, when I came into the NFL and I was able to receive the money I did, the first thing I did was put it away because I didn’t have use for it. So, when the strike came, even though we were missing paychecks, I wasn’t concerned because my money was set aside and I was able to withstand anything. I think that was instilled in me as a young person from my mom. That is what has enabled me to be away from the game as long as I have.” When asked if he resented the replacement players, Carrier was honest about his conflicted state. “Well, you did but you didn’t because there was mixed emotions. Some of those guys that came in were guys that were in training camp with you and were released a week or two into camp. There were a lot of mixed emotions, because you have to understand where they are coming from because they want the opportunity to play. But at the same time, this is my job and someone is taking my job.” Fortunately, the strike ended in plenty of time for Carrier to establish himself as an elite receiver. In a December contest at the Superdome against the team of his youth Carrier had a coming out party. Snagging eight passes from first-time starter Vinny Testaverde, Carrier totaled 212 yards and a touchdown. The performance set a record that still stands and Carrier looks back on that game as one of the highlights of his career. “That was probably one of my best games. It was a rookie record, but it is still a Buccaneer record. It was just right to be against the Saints in New Orleans. Growing up watching the Saints and thinking of possibly going pro and hoping to play in New Orleans, it was my opportunity to showcase myself at home for family members who didn’t get a chance to see me play often.” Carrier followed up his rookie year with a solid sophomore season. Teamed up with Bruce Hill and Vinny Testaverde, Carrier was part of one of the more prolific passing games in the NFL. Granted Vinny had a stunning 35 interceptions in 1988, but he also passed for more than 3,200 yards with Hill topping the 1,000 yard plateau and Carrier not too far behind (970). Lost in the sands of time is the fact that Ray Perkins was the coordinator of Air Coryell in San Diego and helped mold Phil Simms while with the New York Giants. Perkins may have not had much success in Tampa Bay, but the man did know passing. When asked if the Bucs felt they had a potent offense, Carrier said they did. Unfortunately, he believes that Perkins had to bring in so many new players they never got the chance to jell. “I actually thought we did (have a dangerous offense). I think the biggest thing that caused us not to be as successful as we could have been was when Coach Perkins came in he brought a lot of new guys and there was a lot of re-building. Throughout his entire time there, there was constant re-building.” “With a lot of young guys playing, the experience factor wasn’t there and time just ran out on that. I guess as an overall team we never matured quickly enough. Individually, I think we had some guys that had outstanding games and seasons, but weren’t seen as well as others because of the overall record.” One of those teammates was his friend on the team, defensive back Ricky Reynolds. “Ricky Reynolds had an outstanding career but never received the accolades like the others because if you only win two, three or four games a season, you don’t get the opportunity to play in the post-season.” In 1989 Carrier burst through the negative perception surrounding Tampa Bay football to earn a Pro Bowl berth. Carrier’s 1,422 yards and 9 touchdowns led the team and sent him to Hawaii. Among those catches were two amazing plays against the 49ers and Bears respectively. Employing a combination balance, dexterity and timing, on both occasions Carrier deflected a pass away from a defender and to himself before hitting the ground. While impressing broadcaster Dan Fouts, the plays to Carrier were almost second-nature. “I attribute that to being a basketball player,” Carrier said. “I was a better basketball player than football player to be honest with you. I played basketball very successfully in high school. I actually wanted to play college basketball. That hand-eye coordination, leaping ability, the ability to snatch things out of the air, those are things that are needed to be successful as a basketball player, but they also helped in my position football-wise.” “Now I see my fourteen year old son who is a pretty good basketball player and is also a wide receiver. Those things are kind of rubbing off on him as well, that hand-eye coordination.” “It was truly an honor to make the Pro Bowl. It was after individually a great year, where I was able to make a name for myself. I gained the respect of my peers, and that is what guys look at because every fan has a favorite. A fan in Seattle may never see me play in Tampa. But the players around the league know who the successful players are.” Mark Carrier played in Tampa Bay until 1992, following Vinny Testaverde to the Cleveland Browns in 1993 where he finally made a playoff appearance. After the Browns, Carrier spent time with Carolina before leaving the game in 1998. During his time in the NFL Carrier said he always tried to learn from other players. Carrier freely admits that he spent time on the sideline watching other receivers to see what he could copy, and he watched Jerry Rice particularly closely. “To be quite honest I don’t know any player that doesn’t watch great players play,” Carrier said. “If anything, you watch just to learn from them and to see their style. I watched Jerry Rice from the sideline when he was on offense just to learn. Just to watch the techniques he used. I think 99% of the team did as well!” Carrier admits that lining up against Ricky Reynolds in practice everyday made him a better receiver because of the talent and work ethic the defensive back possessed. When it came to taking on other defensive backs, Carrier says that one man in particular gave everyone fits. “The best opponent talent-wise without a doubt was Deion Sanders. He had the knack to shut down an entire side of the field. That mainly was because of the respect coaches gave him. You receive a gameplan instructing people not to throw against him. That is a sign of respect better than any interception.” “I also played against some physical guys. I hated going against Hanford Dixon and Frank Minniefield (both of the Cleveland Browns). Particularly Dixon because he had long arms and he played a bump and run that was a battle.” Upon retiring Carrier moved back to Tampa. When asked why he chose Tampa out of all of his stops, Carrier admitted that he always felt the Bay Area was home. “When I was drafted I actually fell in love with the city. It has changed tremendously since I’ve been here over 20 years. I developed some roots, got married, my wife liked Tampa and it was ideal. It’s about 10, 11 hours from Louisiana so we can access it easily. The weather is beautiful and I’ve picked up golf so I can play year round. And it’s kid-friendly, I’m only an hour from Disney. It has a lot of positives. I loved Cleveland, but it was just too cold. I couldn’t deal with the cold weather. Charlotte was nice, kind of in between Cleveland and Tampa. It has a little cold but still was Southern.” Carrier now runs The Next Level in Athletic Training in Tampa. Next Level is a personal fitness program Carrier has crafted for young athletes with designs on earning a college scholarship or entertaining notions of a professional career. What better example than a man who worked his way from a small high school to the Pro Bowl in just a few short years? “The ages range anywhere from nine, ten years old to teenagers who are in college or are trying to enter college. Basically it is fitness training, football training. No particular positions, though I do some individual coaching for receivers. For the most part it is for kids who are trying to excel, get in shape or get in condition for the sport they are particularly interested in.” “I’ve had two football camps this year and did one last year. I had roughly 60 kids and it worked out real well.” When asked how he got the idea to provide aspiring football players with a taste of what it takes to earn a scholarship, Carrier said it was in response to a request from a former Buccaneer teammate. “The main thing is once I retired from football a former teammate of mine was a local high school football coach and he asked me to come on board and help him out. I was there with him for a little over a year and a half and in the midst of that time I received a lot of requests for individual coaching from the parents of the kids. "I was fortunate enough that a couple of guys I coached while I was there received scholarships to play college ball. So, I just kind of experimented with doing it, and it became a passion where I saw that I could take someone who is young and has all the talent in the world and develop their skill.” The teammate Carrier helped was none other than his practice foe Ricky Reynolds. “We actually got drafted together so we have known each other since 1987. So he’s been instrumental in helping me with the camps and he has done some training with me and for me when I have been out of town. He and I are actually trying to partner up and take this to the next level, so to speak. We would like to put on clinics, like seven on seven camps where he would take defensive backs and I of course would take on wide receivers.” If Carrier and Reynolds are half as successful training defensive backs and wide receivers as they were playing those positions for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, then high school football on Florida’s west coast is in good hands.