Bill Carr, the former Florida centre and athletic director, has died. He was 78 years old.
Bill Carr, a former Florida All-American offensive lineman who later became Gators athletic director, died on February 3, according to the Orlando Sentinel. He was 78 years old.
Carr, a Gainesville native who was raised in Vero Beach and Pensacola, remained in the Sunshine State and returned to his hometown for college to play football for the Gators in 1964, kicking off a historic, multi-faceted career wearing orange and blue.
First, Carr was named the Gators’ starting centre for three seasons, with the duty of snapping the ball to his roommate, famed Florida quarterback and head coach Steve Spurrier.
The duo worked in tandem to a historic 1966 campaign, in which Carr was awarded an All-SEC and All-American offensive tackle and Spurrier earned the first Heisman Trophy in school history. Florida finished 9-2 and defeated Georgia Tech 27-12 in the Orange Bowl that season.
Following his fourth-round NFL Draft pick by the New Orleans Saints in 1967, Carr served in the United States Army for two years before hanging up his cleats without ever playing professionally.
He returned to Gainesville, initially acting as a graduate assistant coach under former Florida head coach Doug Dickey while pursuing his education.
However, after losing interest in coaching, Carr moved to the administrative side of collegiate athletics in 1974, serving as an assistant to then-UF athletic director Ray Graves, who had previously been his and Spurrier’s head coach in the 1960s. Carr became athletic director at his alma mater in 1979, after Graves departed.
Despite the brief suspension of varsity wrestling and volleyball, Carr is credited for rescuing the athletic program from the $700,000 debt he inherited when he took office. His emphasis on facilities resulted in the enlargement of Florida Field in the early 1980s and the completion of the Stephen C. O’Connell Centre in 1980.
During Carr’s tenure as UF athletic director, the Gators had a 50-27-4 football record.
While the time was highlighted by an SEC Championship in 1984 under head coach Galen Hall, the championship was vacated due to NCAA infractions that forced head coach Charley Pell to quit early in the season. Carr resigned from his position almost two years later, in 1986.
Carr went on to serve as Houston’s athletic director from 1993 to 1997, formed CarrSports Consulting in 1997, and managed Athletics Career Spear as its executive coach from 2020 until his death.
Returning to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in 2015, Carr led the Gators’ pre-game chant as Honorary Mr. 2 Bits before Florida’s season-opening game against New Mexico State.
Spurrier, former Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley, and current UF athletic director Scott Stricklin all sent remarks on social media on Sunday in the aftermath of Carr’s death, calling him a “all-time great Gator.”
“I was lucky to see him just a few weeks ago, when he was fighting some health concerns. Spurrier wrote, “He told me he was prepared to go to Heaven and that when the Good Lord called his number, he would be ready.”
“His teammates dubbed him Willie C, and he adored his school and the people around him. We loved him back, and we all have such fond memories of Bill.”
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