Kevin Carter ( American football ) Kevin Louis Carter ( born September 21 , 1973 ) is a former American college and professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League ( NFL ) for fourteen seasons in the 1990s and 2000s . Carter played college football for the University of Florida , and received All - American honors . A first - round pick in the 1995 NFL Draft , he played professionally for the St . Louis Rams , Tennessee Titans , Miami Dolphins and Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the NFL . Early years . Carter was born in Miami , Florida . He attended Lincoln High School in Tallahassee , Florida , and was a letterman for the Lincoln Trojans high school football and basketball teams . In football , he was a " Parade " magazine high school All - American . Carter was a saxophone player in the marching band until he started his first season of football as a junior . He was a member of the school ' s Crime and Drug Prevention Task Force and was named Student - Athlete of the Year as a senior . College career . Carter accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville , Florida , where he was a four - year letterman for coach Steve Spurrier ' s Florida Gators football team from 1991 to 1994 . During his four seasons as a Gator , the team won three Southeastern Conference ( SEC ) championships ( 1991 , 1993 , 1994 ) . In his freshman season , Carter played in eleven games and started two , and tallied fourteen tackles . Following his sophomore season in 1992 , he was a second - team All - SEC selection and a " Football News " honorable mention All - American after compiling sixty - four tackles ( thirty - eight solo ) , twelve forced quarterback hurries , 3 . 5 sacks and six tackles for a loss . As a junior in 1993 , he made fifty - nine tackles ( 11 . 5 for losses ) , 6 . 5 sacks , twelve pressures and blocked a field goal , and was recognized as a first - team All - SEC Selection . As a senior in 1994 , Carter was a first - team All - SEC selection and a consensus first - team All - American . " Football News " named him one of five finalists for its 1994 Defensive Player of the Year Award , and he was a semifinalist for the 1994 Lombardi Award , presented to the nation ' s top lineman . His 42 . 5 career tackles for a loss and 21 . 5 quarterback sacks ranked seventh and fifth , respectively , in Gators history . Carter ' s 11 . 5 sacks in 1994 were then the third - best seasonal total in school history . He started thirty - eight of his last thirty - nine games at defensive end . Carter served as president of the University of Florida chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes . In 2000 , Carter was voted to the Florida Gator All - Century Team and in 2006 he was voted to the University of Florida Gator 100th Anniversary Team . Carter was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a " Gator Great " in 2004 . Professional career . Pre - draft . At the University of Florida " pro day , " Carter ran a 4 . 66 40 - yard dash at 274 pounds while recording a vertical jump of 36½ inches . St . Louis Rams . The St . Louis Rams selected Carter in the first round ( sixth pick overall ) of the 1995 NFL Draft , and he signed with the Rams for a reported $ 10 million over six years . During his rookie year with the Rams , Carter ranked second on the team and second among rookies with six sacks , while posting 50 tackles , two forced fumbles , one safety and one fumble recovery . He was named the Rams ' Rookie of the Year . He recorded his first career sack when he dropped Brett Favre for a 10 - yard loss in Green Bay ( 9 / 3 / 1995 ) . He tallied first career safety when he sacked New York Jets QB Boomer Esiason in end zone ( 12 / 3 / 1995 ) . In 1998 , Carter led the team in sacks with twelve and tied for sixth in the NFC , earning him the Daniel F . Reeves Memorial Award as the Rams ' Most Valuable Player . He was also a Pro Bowl alternate . His best season as a pro came in 1999 with the Rams when he tallied a career high 17 sack s which led the NFL and was the highest sack total by a Ram since Jack Youngblood collected 18 sacks in 1979 . These efforts earned him a spot on the 1999 Pro Bowl team . He also became the first defensive end to represent the Rams at Pro Bowl since Youngblood in 1979 . Carter was a consensus All - Pro selection in 1999 , in addition to being named to the All - Madden and Phil Simms ' All - Iron Teams . The 1999 Rams defense , anchored by Carter at left defensive end , had the No . 1 - ranked rushing defense in the NFL ( 74 . 3 ypg ) and led the NFL in quarterback sacks with fifty - seven ( tied with the Jacksonville Jaguars ) . Carter ( 7 . 5 sacks in the month of November ) was recognized as the NFC Defensive Player of the Month and earned NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors in Week Eight versus the Carolina Panthers . He and his teammates ended the 1999 regular season with a 13 – 3 record and were Super Bowl XXXIV champions . Carter made one of the Rams ' sacks in the Super Bowl XXXIV win over the Tennessee Titans . In 2000 Carter totaled 10 . 5 sacks and started thirteen of the sixteen games he played for the Rams . In 2000 , for the first time in his career , Carter moved to defensive tackle in the Rams ' nickel defense , with Leonard Little playing the left defensive end position . After the 2000 season he was traded to the Tennessee Titans in exchange for a 2001 first - round draft choice on April 4 , 2001 . Tennessee Titans . Carter was traded to the Titans in 2001 and continued the same stellar performances he had with the Rams . During his first season , he recorded 61 tackles and two sacks and led the team with 34 quarterback pressures . Carter had 10 sacks and was voted to his second Pro Bowl in 2002 and named second - team All - Pro by " Football Digest " . In 2003 , he started all 16 games , and led the Titans linemen with 79 tackles . He added 5 . 5 sacks , one forced fumble and a pass defensed . Played both end and tackle and was instrumental in helping Tennessee to the No . 1 - ranked rushing defense in the NFL ( 80 . 9 yards per game ) , marking the second time in his career that Carter played on the NFL ' s top - ranked rushing defense . Although Carter did not gain any individual honors , his play was noticed by opposing NFL coaches . In December , 2003 , " Pro Football Weekly " reported , " Patriots head coach Bill Belichick argued that DL Kevin Carter — who starts at the DLE spot and plays inside on passing downs — could be considered for league MVP . " In 2004 Carter started all 16 games for the Titans , however , seven were at his usual left defensive end position and nine were at left defensive tackle . Posted a career - high and team - leading 82 tackles while sacking the quarterback 6 times while recovering one fumble and forcing one fumble and batting away two passes . His contract was terminated by Tennessee on February 22 , 2005 , after earning $ 20 . 5 million in his four seasons with the Titans . Miami Dolphins . Signed by Miami on March 7 , 2005 . In 2005 Carter started all 16 games at left defensive end for the Dolphins and totaled 54 tackles , six sacks , four passes defensed , one fumble recovery and one forced fumble . His sack total tied with David Bowens for second on the team . He notched the second safety of his career in win at New Orleans ( 10 / 30 / 2005 ) when he sacked Saints QB Aaron Brooks in the end zone . The following season ( 2006 ) Carter again started all 16 games for the Dolphins , marking the sixth consecutive season that he started all 16 contests . Carter had 45 tackles , 5 . 5 sacks and two fumble recoveries . New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said this about the Carter and the Dolphins ' front four , " When they get to third down , they put Vonnie Holliday inside with Kevin Carter , and [ David ] Bowens and Jason Taylor on the edge , it ' s the best pass rushing group I think we ' ve seen all year across the board . Every one of those guys can definitely rush . " Carter ' s contract was terminated by Miami on March 2 , 2007 . Carter ' s release came after he was unable to reach an agreement on a restructured contract with Miami . Carter earned $ 10 million in his two seasons with Miami . Tampa Bay Buccaneers . Three days after his release by the Dolphins , March 5 , 2007 , Carter signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers . Carter played sixteen games while starting fourteen for the Bucs in 2007 , compiling forty - three tackles , three sacks and one forced fumble . Carter was released on February 27 , 2008 , in what was described as a " cost - cutting " move . However , on March 25 , 2008 , Carter re - signed with the Bucs . He reportedly turned down a two - year deal with the Oakland Raiders to sign a one - year $ 3 . 5 million deal with Tampa Bay . Carter had earned $ 5 . 2 million in 2007 with the Buccaneers and would have earned $ 5 . 8 million in 2008 ( $ 3 . 8 million plus a $ 2 million roster bonus ) . Carter ' s agent stated , " It was big money he turned down ( from Oakland ) , but he went with heart rather than the pocket " . Carter has a chance to be the Bucs ' starting left end in 2008 , but he ' ll likely come off the field on passing downs . He registered forty - nine tackles and four sacks while starting every game for the Buccaneers in 2008 . Carter earned $ 8 . 7 million in his two seasons with the Bucs . After the 2008 season , the Buccaneers chose not to resign Carter , who was a free agent , and on April 28 , 2009 , Carter visited the Detroit Lions seeking a contract . After passing on the Lions offer , Carter remained an unsigned free agent and subsequently retired from football . In his fourteen - season NFL career , Carter played in 224 regulars season games , starting in 219 of them . He totaled 104 . 5 career sacks , reaching double digits four times ( 1998 – 2000 , 2002 ) and leading his team five times ( 1996 , 1998 , 1999 , 2002 , 2004 ) . He never missed a game in the NFL , playing in 224 consecutive and at 6 ' 5 " , 300 pounds , Carter , a defensive end , had size to move to defensive tackle on passing downs , which he did frequently from 2000 through 2008 . Carter earned just over $ 49 million in his fourteen professional seasons . Personal . Carter is extremely active in community endeavors . He and his wife , Shima , established the Kevin Carter Foundation in 2002 , which is an organization created to enrich the lives of children , focusing on youth and character development . One of Carter ’ s favorite quotes from his father is : " To whom much is given , much is expected " and he founded his organization on that principle . For the past eleven years , Carter has hosted the " Waiting for Wishes " celebrity dinner and reception , where he and his teammates , along with Hollywood stars and musicians have come together to be the waiters and waitresses for dinner attendees . The annual dinner has generated thousands of dollars for the Make - A - Wish Foundation and the Kevin Carter Foundation . Carter was named the Community Man of the Year Award for three straight years by his Titans ' teammates , and while he was with the Rams , he was named a United Way African American Leadership Giver . In 1998 , Carter founded the Kevin Carter Football Endowment at the University of Florida , which provides scholarship s to deserving college athletes . He also serves on the NFL Players Association Executive Committee .