Lew Carpenter
Lewis Glen Carpenter was an American professional football player and coach. He played college football for the University of Arkansas and professionally for ten seasons in the National Football League as a halfback and fullback with the Detroit Lions, Cleveland Browns, and Green Bay Packers. He played on three NFL Championship teams, with Detroit in 1953 and with Green Bay in 1961 and 1962. After his playing career ended, Carpenter spent 31 years as an assistant coach in the NFL with the Minnesota Vikings, Atlanta Falcons, Washington Redskins, St. Louis Cardinals, Houston Oilers, Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions, and Philadelphia Eagles. Carpenter also coached the Frankfurt Galaxy of the World League of American Football in 1996 and at Southwest Texas State University. He concluded his 47 years of playing and coaching football at the end of the 1996 season. Scientific tests on his brain diagnosed post-mortem that he had an advanced case of chronic traumatic encephalopathy.
Early years and family
Carpenter was born to Verba Glen Carpenter and Edna Earl Pullam in Hayti, Missouri. He was raised in West Memphis, Arkansas, where he attended high school and played six-man football. In 1951, Lew married Ann Holt. The couple had four daughters; Cheryl, Cathy, Lisa and Rebecca. His brother, Preston Carpenter, married Jeanne Eytchison and the couple had three sons: Scott, Bruce, and Lewis Todd.College career
While at the University of Arkansas, Carpenter starred at the halfback position for the Razorbacks. As a senior, he played in the Blue-Grey College All-Star Game. Carpenter also played wide receiver, tight end, and served as back-up quarterback during his college years. Carpenter received varsity letters in football, basketball, and baseball. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in biology.Carpenter played baseball after his 1953 senior year in college in the minor Carolina League, as a pitcher, with the Winston-Salem Cardinals. During this season he had a batting average of.286 under manager Jimmy Brown. Scouts for the NFL also offered him a contract and football beat baseball in this circumstance.
NFL playing career
Carpenter's primary positions played: defensive half back, fullback, halfback, and offensive half back/running back. Carpenter was listed at a height of 6 foot 2 inches and had a playing weight from 205 to 220 pounds and was considered fast afoot.Detroit Lions
In 1953, Carpenter was drafted by the National Football League for the Detroit Lions in the eighth round of the draft, 97th selection. The very first time in game play he got the football, he scored a 73-yard touchdown on an interception.For the next three seasons, Carpenter was a running back. He was the Lions' leading rusher and won his first world championship in 1953.
In 1954, Carpenter led Detroit with 476 rushing yards and in 1955, 543 yards. He helped the Detroit Lions get back into the 1954 NFL Championship game, by winning the NFL Western Conference, before bowing to the 1954 NFL Champion Cleveland Browns. Over his three seasons with the Lions, he rushed for 1,043 yards, with 60 pass receptions, and scored 10 touchdowns.
Carpenter's football career was placed on hold for the 1956 season, when he was drafted by the United States Army. He served honorably during an 18-month tour in Germany.
Cleveland Browns
In 1957, after returning from Germany, Carpenter was traded to the Cleveland Browns, where he played with Preston Carpenter, his brother.In 1957 NFL draft, the Browns had selected fullback Jim Brown out of Syracuse University, who became the NFL's leading rusher with 942 yards in a 12-game regular season. The emergence of Brown limited Carpenter to 83 attempts rushing, resulting in 315 yards and 4 touchdowns.
Once again at the top of the division with 9 wins, 2 losses and 1 tied game, Cleveland advanced to the Championship Game against Detroit. But the Lions dominated from start to finish, causing six turnovers and limiting the Browns' quarterbacks to 95 yards passing in a 59–14 rout.
Green Bay Packers
In 1959, Coach Vince Lombardi got a key trade by getting Lew Carpenter to come to Green Bay, Wisconsin, and to play for the Packers.While with the Packers he helped them win two world championships.
Carpenter's first game under Lombardi came quickly. On September 27, 1959, a sellout crowd packed Green Bay's New City Stadium for the first Packer game of the regular season against the Chicago Bears. On the Packers first offensive play, a new Lombardi technique was seen. "Packer halfback Paul Hornung took a handoff from the quarterback, ran to his left and threw the ball downfield to a wide open receiver near the goal line." The crowd jumped to its feet, cheering at this new tactic! Then, the receiver, "Lew Carpenter dropped the ball."
At halftime in the locker room, Coach Lombardi concluded his pep talk with, "And now, men of Green Bay, step aside. Make way for the mightiest Green Bay team in years! A Winning team! Go get 'em, Green Bay!" In response, Carpenter and the rest of the Packers slammed their lockers, growled loudly, and assaulted the field in determination. During the rest of the game, the Bears watched Carpenter closely, seeing him as a threat. The Packers adjusted tactics and used Carpenter repeatedly as bait while another player got the critical touchdown. At the end of the game, the Green Bay Packers beat the Chicago Bears by a score of 9 to 6. The Packer players raised Lombardi to their shoulders and ran with him in victory. "We're on our way Now!" shouted Lombardi.
After winning their first three games, the Packers lost the next five due to injuries, including Carpenter's. Returning, Carpenter and his team finished strong by winning the rest of the season. The 7 win & 5 loss record represented the Packers' first winning season since 1947. Rookie head coach Lombardi was named Coach of the Year. For the Pack this was the start of the Glory Years.
The next year, the Packers, led by Paul Hornung's 176 points, and assisted by running back Carpenter, won the NFL West title and played in the NFL Championship against the Philadelphia Eagles at Philadelphia. In a see-saw game, the Packers trailed the Eagles by four points late in the game, when Chuck Bednarik tackled Jim Taylor nine yards short of the goal line as time ran out. The Packers claimed that they did not "lose" that game; they were simply behind in the score when time ran out on them.
The Packers returned to the NFL Championship game the following season and faced the New York Giants in the first league title game to be played in Green Bay. The Packers scored 24 second-quarter points assisted by Carpenter, including a championship-record 19 by Paul Hornung, on special loan from the Army, powering the Packers to a 37 to 0 major win over the Giants, their first NFL Championship since 1944.
The Packers stormed back in the 1962 season, jumping out to a 10-win and 0-loss start, on their way to a 13–1 season. This consistent level of success would lead to Lombardi's Packers becoming one of the most prominent teams of their era, and even to their being featured as the face of the NFL on the cover of Time on December 21, 1962, as part of the magazine's cover story on "The Sport of the '60s" and Lew Carpenter is mentioned in the article as one of the Packers' star players. Shortly after Time's article, the Packers faced the Giants in a much more brutal championship game than the previous year, but the Packers prevailed on the surprising foot of Jerry Kramer and the determined running of Jim Taylor. The Packers defeated the Giants in New York, 16–7. Carpenter re-injured himself but finished the game. During this season Carpenter assisted other players in their game, gaining the informal title of "coach".
In 1963, Paul Hornung was suspended for the season for betting on football. This caused Carpenter and others to make more than extra efforts for the team. While the Packers had an 11–1 season, it was at great cost. Many players injured themselves and re-injured themselves like Carpenter. Coach Lombardi placed Carpenter as a reserve running back, but had to play him time after time for the winning effort. After four full seasons of play with the Packers, Carpenter concluded his professional football playing days at the end of the 1963 season.
Carpenter played 123 professional football games. He finished his ten-year career with 2,025 yards and 16 touchdowns on 468 carries. He also caught 87 passes for 782 yards.
Coaching career
In 1964 Carpenter became one of the assistant coaches of the Minnesota Vikings. He served in various coaching positions and teams over the next 30 years. These included receivers coach, passing game coach and offensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons and the Washington Redskins.Carpenter coached alongside Vince Lombardi then coached for St. Louis Cardinals, the Houston Oilers, the Green Bay Packers, the Detroit Lions and the Philadelphia Eagles. Along the way, he mentored many upcoming Pro Bowl players.
Minnesota Vikings
Carpenter coached several Vikings who were later inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Fran Tarkenton and Carl Eller.Atlanta Falcons
In late 1966, Carpenter became one of the first coaches on the new NFL Atlanta Falcons franchise, the 23rd professional football club and the 15th NFL franchise. In 1967, the Falcons played in the new Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium. The first preseason game was held on August 1, 1966, before a crowd of 26,072 at Atlanta Stadium. Under Head Coach Norb Hecker, the Falcons became the only expansion team in history not to finish in last place their first year. The Falcons finished seventh out of eight teams in the NFL's Eastern Conference. Carpenter helped coach the Falcons first victory on November 20, 1966, defeating the New York Giants, 27 to 16, at Yankee Stadium. Tommy Nobis, first draft pick and coached by Carpenter was voted to the Pro Bowl and named 1966 Rookie of the Year.Carpenter participated in many pivotal events for the newly created American football team called the Atlanta Falcons.
1967 was disappointing for the Falcons. They finished their season at 1-12-1. Tommy Nobis was named to his second Pro Bowl and Junior Coffey ended the year with 722 yards to finish as the eighth leading rusher in the league and the Falcons’ Most Valuable Player and Carpenter helped coach them both.
1968 - The former head coach of the Minnesota Vikings Norm Van Brocklin was named to replace Norb Hecker as Falcon's head coach after only three games of the 1968 season. Carpenter worked with Van Brocklin, who he knew as a player and a coach.
Carpenter helped coach two future Georgia Sports Hall of Fame winners. These were Tommy Nobis and Claude Humphry.