He cried under dark sunglasses hours later when Middletown Mayor Larry Mulligan Jr. handed him a street sign — that read “Middletown, Ohio Home of Cris Carter Pro Football Hall of Fame 2013” — in his honor, and he cried numerous times when he talked about his family, his friends and his struggles off the football field during the 24th Pigskin Roundball Spectacular at the Manor House in Mason.
Carter was one of the three speakers featured at the fundraiser for college scholarships for MHS senior athletes. He was joined by Jerry Lucas, who led the Middies to 76-consecutive wins and back-to-back state titles, and a member of the NBA Hall of Fame and Kayla Harrison, the Middletown native who became the first American to win an Olympic golf medal in judo at the 2012 London Games.
Lucas talked about his post-basketball life and how he wants to be remembered for changing how children learn and Harrison, for the first time in front of her family and friends, discussed how being sexually abused by her judo coach as a teen nearly drove her away from sport and ruined her life.
And Carter talked from the heart.
Here’s what was clear from his message: Carter cherishes those closest to him, his mother, Joyce Stafford, who raised six children as a single mother; his wife of 23 years, Melanie, whom he met at Ohio State University; his oldest brother, Butch, the “father figure” in his life; and four childhood friends, Sean Bell, Jimmy Calhoun, Al Milton, and Dwight Smith, guys he has known and played sports with since he was 7, when he moved to Middletown.
Because of the love and support from his mother, Carter said he “never lost confidence” even during the darkest moments. He said she moved the family to Middletown because of the renowned sports program and to provide “a better life.”
Of his wife, Carter said she “sacrificed her life for me.”
Carter, known to have the “best hands in the NFL,” also possesses a pretty good eye, too. While at Ohio State, he met Melanie, whom he called the “greatest catch of all.”
And he made sure to let those in those audience — some of the same people who doubted his connection to the city — that he always thought about Middletown when he stepped onto the football field and when he’s enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Aug. 3 in Canton, he’s taking every Middletown resident with him.
“I will always be from Middletown,” he said before more than 800 people.
The ride hasn’t always been easy. Carter was ruled ineligible his senior season at Ohio State after he signed with an agent, a mistake he apologized for to his coach Earle Bruce during ceremonies at the high school; and after three productive seasons in the NFL, he was cut by the Philadelphia Eagles.
He called that “the worst day of my life.”
He was called into coach Buddy Ryan’s office, and after a short conversation, Ryan confided that his wife pleaded for him not to release Carter because he “was special.” But he was cut, handed his walking papers. He was given a gray garbage bag and told to clean out his locker. It was the longest walk he ever made across a football field.
“That was the first time that I was told I was garbage,” he said.
On the drove home to a wife who was pregnant with their first child, Carter said he found God and that “magic in my life.”
He eventually signed with the Minnesota Vikings, and for the next 12 seasons, was one of the most productive wide receivers in the game. He retired No. 2 on the all-time receiving list behind Jerry Rice.
Now, he said, it’s easy to be a fan of Cris Carter, 2013 Hall of Famer. Everyone loves a winner. He knows he has made mistakes and he believes he has corrected those mistakes.
“I appreciate the path I walked,” he said.
A unique door at Trailbridge Townhomes
Carter, accompanied by his friends and brother, John, visited Trailbridge Townhomes on Lafayette Avenue, formerly People’s Place Apartments, where the Carter family lived after it moved from Troy. Carter remembered times when he missed curfew and he climbed into his second-floor bedroom only to find his mother waiting with a belt.
At the end of the visit, Carter pulled out a large black Sharpie, and at the request of the renters of Apartment B, Jacob Wilder and Jenny Claudio, signed their front door: “Cris Carter #80 Hall of Fame 2013. God Bless.”
He joked that the door was worth a lot of money. The residents said they were taking the door when they move.
Shooting hoops at community center
When Carter toured the Robert “Sonny” Hill Community Center, where he sharpened his basketball skills as a youth, he asked director Joel Gross if he could borrow a basketball to shoot a few hoops. He said growing up kids were told if they wanted to use the sports equipment they needed to give a driver’s license and a $20 bill as a deposit.
“Like we had either one,” he said. He then walked upstairs, took off his jacket and drained several long jumpers.
One egg left to sell
The Pigskin-Roundball Spectacular and the Middletown Arts Center will split the $460 made off the auction of the Carter sculpture created by former NFL running back George Nock and three ceramic, autographed eggs with the likenesses of Carter, Kayla Harrison and Jerry Lucas.
The egg of Carter sold for $200, the minimum bid, and Kayla’s mother, Jeannie Yazell, bought her daughter’s egg for $260. The egg of Lucas and the sculpture of Carter, with a $6,000 minimum bid, didn’t sell, said Sherry Pieratt, director of development at the arts center. She said the Spectacular commissioned the sculpture that she valued at $10,000 and it belongs to them.
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