Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State to Retire David Carr's Jersey
8/23/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 23, 2007
FRESNO, Calif. - Finally. The long-awaited David Carr jersey retirement will take place in Fresno State's season opening game against Sacramento State on September 1.
Fresno State made the announcement today after arrangements were finalized to get the Carr Family to Fresno. His No. 8 jersey is being retired and the number placed on the façade of the Bulldog Stadium Press Box.
Carr and his family will be in Fresno for the ceremony, which will be held at halftime of the Sacramento State game. Carr, his wife Melody, and sons Austin, Tyler and Cooper, and nearly 80 family members and close friends will be in attendance.
Fresno State previously planned to retire Carr's jersey in September of 2005, but Hurricanes Rita and Katrina prevented Carr from getting to Fresno for the ceremony. Carr enters his first season as a quarterback for the Carolina Panthers, after playing the five previous years with the Houston Texans.
It will be the sixth football jersey retirement in Fresno State football history. Others include quarterback Trent Dilfer (No. 12); receiver Henry Ellard (No. 83), running back Dale Messer (No. 21), kicker Vince Petrucci (No. 14) and quarterback Kevin Sweeney (No. 9). Earlier this year Messer allowed his jersey to come out of retirement and be worn by freshman running back Ryan Mathews of Bakersfield, coincidently Carr's hometown.
"David was my first recruit and brought unprecedented national attention to Fresno State, the football program and the Valley," said head coach Pat Hill. "We are glad to finally be able to bring him back to campus and honor him properly. With his NFL schedule and our schedule, it's taken six years to get them to match. We are very happy to be able to do this and thank Coach John Fox and the Carolina Panthers for allowing David to come and join us at Bulldog Stadium."
Carr was selected the national offensive player of the year as a senior after throwing for 4,839 yards and 46 touchdowns. He led the NCAA in both categories, becoming just the sixth player in NCAA history to throw for more than 4,000 yards and 40 touchdowns in the same season.
He won the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award and the Pop Warner Award, which is presented annually to the best college football player on the west coast. He finished fifth in the balloting for the Heisman Trophy. Carr was selected as the No. 1 overall NFL pick by the expansion Houston Texans, becoming the first player from a non-BCS conference in 30 years to be selected as the top overall pick.
For his career, 1997-2001, Carr completed 344-of-533 passes for 7,849 yards and 70 touchdowns. When he left, he held Bulldog passing records for most touchdowns in a career (70), passing yards in a season (4,839), touchdowns in a season (46) and total offensive yards in a season (4,906).
During his senior season, he guided the Bulldogs to an 11-3 record, tying the school record for most wins in a season. Fresno State opened the 2001 season with wins over three nationally ranked opponents, No. 23 Colorado and No. 18 Wisconsin, both on the road, and a commanding 44-24 win over No. 10 Oregon State in Bulldog Stadium. That game was played in front of a record crowd of 42,410. The Bulldogs finished the regular season ranked No. 20 in the nation before losing to Michigan State 44-34 in the Silicon Valley Football Classic. In his final game, Carr set a bowl record with 531 passing yards while throwing four touchdowns.
A commemorative David Carr insert will be in the Bulldog Gridiron gameday program. The Gridiron programs will be available at the stadium for $5.
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