George Carter Memorial Scholarship

It is rather remarkable, to say the least, that 15 years after the close of Coach George Carter’s employment at Cal Lutheran, no fewer than 57 of his former football players and fans put their resources together to create a memorial scholarship in his honor. But George Carter was no ordinary guy. He was special for several reasons, and he left a lasting impact on the personal lives of his players.

George Carter coached for CLC for ten years, from 1967 to 1977. During that time he wore several hats—from equipment manager and locker room attendant to assistant coach. In fact, at one time George coached both baseball and football. Those were some of CLU’s athletic golden years.

Coach Carter’s strongest characteristic was his personal concern for his players. And in his own style, he taught his players to have that same concern for others and to be committed to both their athletic and their academic development. George Carter declared his own Christian faith openly and without hesitation encouraged his players to follow that same path.

The “team” of 57 alumni accomplished their goal of endowing the George Carter Memorial Scholarship within six months of George’s death in 1992. George’s daughter, Shirley Henderson, helped to put the finishing touches on the scholarship agreement. The recipient of the George Carter Memorial Scholarship is to reflect as much as possible the qualities of George himself—concern for others, personal conviction and commitment to academic and athletic development.

George’s one last memorable trait—his raspy voice—is one that all his players remember well but did not require of the scholarship recipient.