By Doug Blackburn, DEMOCRAT ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR
There's no question as to who's the Head Rattler.
With a wide-brim nylon mesh hat protecting him from the summer sun, Rubin Carter stands out at Florida A&M football practices.
The one-time NFL defensive tackle doesn't need a megaphone: His booming voice is heard loud and clear. He seldom uses the whistle hanging around his neck. When Carter speaks, Rattlers listen.
Visitors to a FAMU practice will also notice Carter's distinct walk as he patrols the practice field. The thick-chested 53-year-old appears almost off balance as he swivels his left hip and strides forward. Or is it the knee causing the hitch in his gait?
"The knee," Carter answers. "I played 12 years in the NFL. That's worse than going to Iraq."
Carter's left knee never healed properly after surgery during his sophomore year at the University of Miami, where he was an All-American.
"There was no 'scoping going on back then. They just cut it open and started pulling things out," the Fort Lauderdale native said. "They probably pulled out more than they should have, but I played 12 years after that."
When Carter arrived in Tallahassee three years ago, the players were aware their new coach had an unusual walk.
"We talked about it among ourselves," kicker Wesley Taylor said, "but nobody wanted to ask him."
Receiver Willie Hayward immediately chalked it up to Carter's playing days, when the coach was one of the anchors on the Denver Broncos' famed Orange Crush defense of the late 1970s.
"Too many games in the NFL. He says this is a tough game, and he played in the trenches," Hayward said. "There's a lot of wear and tear on the body when you play football, and that walk proves it."
Carter didn't miss a game during his NFL career: 152 games in all.
The left knee - he calls it arthritic - won't allow him to run anymore, but he insists it doesn't limit his mobility.
"I can fast-walk you. I'm one of the best," Carter said. "I get around."
There's no question as to who's the Head Rattler.
With a wide-brim nylon mesh hat protecting him from the summer sun, Rubin Carter stands out at Florida A&M football practices.
The one-time NFL defensive tackle doesn't need a megaphone: His booming voice is heard loud and clear. He seldom uses the whistle hanging around his neck. When Carter speaks, Rattlers listen.
Visitors to a FAMU practice will also notice Carter's distinct walk as he patrols the practice field. The thick-chested 53-year-old appears almost off balance as he swivels his left hip and strides forward. Or is it the knee causing the hitch in his gait?
"The knee," Carter answers. "I played 12 years in the NFL. That's worse than going to Iraq."
Carter's left knee never healed properly after surgery during his sophomore year at the University of Miami, where he was an All-American.
"There was no 'scoping going on back then. They just cut it open and started pulling things out," the Fort Lauderdale native said. "They probably pulled out more than they should have, but I played 12 years after that."
When Carter arrived in Tallahassee three years ago, the players were aware their new coach had an unusual walk.
"We talked about it among ourselves," kicker Wesley Taylor said, "but nobody wanted to ask him."
Receiver Willie Hayward immediately chalked it up to Carter's playing days, when the coach was one of the anchors on the Denver Broncos' famed Orange Crush defense of the late 1970s.
"Too many games in the NFL. He says this is a tough game, and he played in the trenches," Hayward said. "There's a lot of wear and tear on the body when you play football, and that walk proves it."
Carter didn't miss a game during his NFL career: 152 games in all.
The left knee - he calls it arthritic - won't allow him to run anymore, but he insists it doesn't limit his mobility.
"I can fast-walk you. I'm one of the best," Carter said. "I get around."
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