Monmouth College Athletics

John Carter might have displayed his considerable athletic talents at a major university if not for his small stature. He was just 5-foot-5 and 145 pounds, but the "The Flea" proved to be as elusive as his nickname suggested, averaging a whopping 7.5 yards per carry in a career that saw him score 14 touchdowns.

Simply put, no Monmouth athlete was faster than Carter in the pre-metric era. In Midwest Conference track, he won the 100-yard dash in 1971 and took both the 100- and 220-yard dashes at the 1973 meet. His school-record time of 9.7 seconds in the 100-yard dash will never be broken, nor will his indoor 60-yard dash record of 6.3 seconds.

On the gridiron, the explosive Carter was also a threat in the return game. The Scots, who posted a 23-2-1 record in his three seasons, weren’t scored on often, but when they did receive a kickoff, Carter averaged a school-record 29.4 yards on his returns.