For Derek Carr’s teammates, it’s about the memories not the numbers

There are numbers, a lot of them, and even years from now some still will boggle the mind.

In a storied career at Fresno State, quarterback Derek Carr – who will have his No. 4 retired on Saturday at halftime of the Bulldogs’ opener against Incarnate Word – passed for 12,842 yards and 113 touchdowns. He had a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 4.71 to 1, the second highest all-time. He became the 19th quarterback in college football history to pass for more than 10,000 yards and 100 touchdowns.

As a senior, Carr led the nation in points responsible for, averaging 24.2 per game, which was more than 32 teams scored that season. He also led the nation that season in total offense, passing yards and passing yards per game, passing touchdowns and completions per game.

But those are just numbers.

They sparkle, but they are not what many of Carr’s teammates, coaches and athletic department administrators remember about those four years behind center for the Bulldogs.

“He’s so special for this community,” says former Fresno State coach Pat Hill. “He’s like a lightning bolt.”　

There is seemingly a story for every one of those 12,842 passing yards. Here are just a few starting with one from former Bulldogs quarterback David Carr, Derek’s older brother, who was the first overall selection in the 2002 NFL Draft and had his No. 8 retired by the athletic department in 2007.

David Carr

When I was there we had some successful teams, especially that last year, and he was a part of it. He was around. He saw it. … I always thought, ‘Man, it would be neat if he went there, but there would be a lot of pressure.’ …

The cool part about it, when he called me about it, I know he was still looking at other schools and trying to decide, and I never brought up Fresno State. I just kind of wanted to let it happen. He finally called me and said, ‘You know what, it’s down to these schools, but I really feel like I should be in Fresno.’ And this is the part that got me – he said, ‘I want to finish what you started.’ It wasn’t, ‘I want to go do what you did.’ It was, ‘I want to finish what you started in that area.’ He was a part of it. He saw us climb really high and then we never got to attain what we really wanted, but he was able to go out there and win a Mountain West championship and do a lot of things that we weren’t able to do, even though we climbed so high in the national rankings. He was able to beat Boise State when we were never able to do that.

It’s funny. Every time we would go down that ramp, he would be like, ‘My number is going to be up there with yours someday.’ … Now it’s going to actually happen – that’s pretty sweet. He grew up in that stadium.

Paul Loeffler Radio voice of the Bulldogs

The first time I ever heard Derek talk, it was KMJ’s post-game Dog Talk. The 10-year-old had been listening and called in to educate the listeners on how good his brother and the Bulldogs could be. …

Some things never change. He wasn’t afraid to stand up for what he believed then, and he certainly isn’t now. He may be a little more diplomatic these days, but his courage to speak the truth while also displaying love to everyone is one of the things that makes him such a tremendous leader.

Robbie Rouse Running back 2009-12

Derek is a competitor. He’s a gamer. He plays Madden – a lot. Me and him were similar in that. We played each other twice in our time at Fresno State and he won one and I won one and we said we’re just going to leave it there because if we played another game we might not be friends any more.

That was our freshman year. … Back then, we were just excited to be in a video game.

Dalen Jones Safety, 2013-16

I remember in the (Mountain West) championship game, when that play went down where I hit the quarterback and everything, the QB was laying there hurt and as we were walking off the field Derek pulled me to the side and said, ‘Great play, but make sure you pray over him and see if he’s OK before you go on to the next play.’ Stuff like that just makes him a great person. Amazing guy, all the way around.　

Ryan Reggiani Assistant athletic director for external relations, 2010-14

This was his redshirt year, when Ryan Colburn was the starter, and we were at the bowl in Boise and we’re playing Northern Illinois. We all went to the Children’s Hospital – as part of the bowl experience, you go to the Children’s Hospital – and Derek and Devon Wylie, they had these goofy personalities and Derek is still pretty young. Nobody knows Derek at this point. He’s a redshirt sophomore, and not playing at all. So there’s a piano in the lobby and he just sits down and starts playing the piano and singing and Devon comes over and they’re singing this duet in the lobby of this Children’s Hospital.

I think all of the players were shocked – they didn’t know he had that skill as well. It was pretty funny. The nurses gathered around like, ‘Wow, what’s going on out here? We have a little concert.’ He had skills. He had piano and singing skills as well.

Jamal Ellis Cornerback, 2013-16

That San Diego State game in 2013, it was a big year for us going into it. We had a pretty dominant team and we knew we had a lot of good players. In that game, when L.J. (Jones) got hurt, I knew I had a lot of pressure on my shoulders and I remember, after my first or second series when I knew L.J. was going to be out for the rest of the game or potentially the rest of the season, Derek came up to me and basically said, these are his words, ‘You’re no longer a backup. You’re the next man up and we need you to help our team get where we want to go.’

Of course the nerves were going crazy for me at that time. I’m a freshman. I had never been in a game of that magnitude. Just to hear that from him, the leader of our team, it just gave me a sense of calmness. That gave me a boost to where I was able to know, ‘I’m a central part of the team now.’ Our captain, Derek, came up to me and told these words to me, and that allowed me to prevail for the rest of the season.

I’ll talk about that San Diego State game for the rest of my life. That’s something I’ll never forget. I’ll tell that story a million times.

Ejiro Ederaine Linebacker, 2012-15

He was a celebrity. But he was always just the kindest, just the most real guy. He’s a real down-to-earth guy. Really, he’s the definition of ‘Don’t let other people change you.’ Derek is in a hot light because he’s such a great guy and that light hasn’t changed Derek at all.

I can still reach out to Derek and he still replies with the same quickness that he did before. That’s just something that’s so rare. That should be cherished. Derek is just a great guy and that’s my story, how he was like a phantom. I never saw him, but I could always count on him.

Malique Micenheimer Linebacker/fullback, 2011-15

There are a million stories and good times with him. The one that sticks out the most is one time when we were watching film. It was me, Derek, and I think Aaron Peck and we were talking about super heroes. I think everyone pretty much knows Derek is a huge Batman fan and we were just talking and he came out of nowhere and said, ‘Yeah, I am Batman.’ You almost believed it.

It never stopped with that dude, but I’m really excited to see him get his number retired. It’s not something that he would always vocalize, but I know he had that competitive fuel to break some of the records and do some of the things that his brother did. That was something we did talk about, just the talent that his brother had and what he was able to do versus the receivers that Derek had and the records that he was able to accomplish.

But I think it’s bigger than that. It’s just who he is as a person off the field, You can hear a million people say it over and over, but just who he is made everyone better just as far as their preparation and getting more people to go to FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes), getting more people to look out for their teammates, get more people to do the right things when they weren’t playing football.

I think that’s where he made the biggest difference. For me, I’ve always been big on my faith, but I didn’t know what FCA was. Lorne Bell kind of oversaw that and D.C. really got me involved in that. My first year he let me know what it is. He’d come into the locker room and say, ‘Yep, well, it starts in about five minutes. So take a quick shower and get in there.’ I can go on and on about him. He has done so many cool things and, for me, it’s really cool to see. I’m looking forward to coming back to Fresno for that game.

Josh Harper Wide receiver, 2011-14

I always knew when I was going to get the ball. Maybe not always, but I knew when it was for sure coming. He’d give you this look like … I don’t know how to explain the look. But the Rutgers game in ’13, he gave me this look and sure enough, he changed the play call to a fade and I knew I was getting the ball. That was the play to tie the score with like 40 seconds to go to get into overtime.

He just gave me this look. We have receivers all over the field now, so when he gave me that look I was like, ‘OK, I have to make this play because he could go to any other receiver on the field.’ I don’t know how to explain it. Maybe the other wide outs could explain it, but in the huddle he’d give you this certain look.

He did that in the huddle. I remember that vividly. It was just like … ‘Get ready, I’m coming to you.’ He changed it to a fade and, boom, touchdown. Overtime. Let’s go. There’s something about D.C. I don’t know, he was just cool. He changed the plays. He called the plays. He was just the ultimate leader.　

Jason Clay Assistant athletic director for external communications, 2011-16

Before Derek’s junior year. I drove him out to speak to some elementary school kids and on the way back from that we were talking about his future aspirations. Derek told me then of his dream to win the Heisman Trophy. …

It really was unfortunate we were not able to get Derek to New York as a finalist (in 2013, when Jameis Winston won). He ended up finishing eighth in the voting, had six first-place votes. However, in the end, Derek is getting the last laugh as he turned out to have the most successful career of everyone who finished ahead of him.

Just like how he was a second-round pick, I’d imagine that put a big chip on his shoulder and motivated him to prove those doubters wrong. Part of why he is so good is his burning desire to be the best.

Jamal Ellis Cornerback, 2013-16

This is before I was even on the team. I was on my visit and I remember he came and spoke to us. All the recruits, we went down to the field and walked the field and before we went up the ramp he met us right at the base there where the concrete meets the field and he spoke to us about the pride of the Valley. Coming from Southern California, I had never really been to the Central Valley, I didn’t know much about Fresno as a city, but he instilled that pride of the Valley in us. He talked to us about how Bulldog football is played – hard-nosed football, play anybody, anywhere, anyplace. From that point on, that’s what made me want to go to Fresno State, just that sense of pride.

I didn’t really know him and I hadn’t really heard about Fresno State before then. It’s weird to talk about because it gives me goose bumps. I knew who his brother was, I didn’t really know who he was. But when I heard him talk, it was like an instant leadership feel that I got. I understood what he was saying. I still tell people when they see me with a Fresno State shirt on and ask, ‘Hey, did you play with Derek? Do you know Derek?’ I tell them to this day he’s the best teammate I ever had in my whole life of playing sports.　　

Austin Wentworth Offensive line, 2010-13

I was trying to make fun of Derek at practice one day, saying he can’t throw very hard. So next thing you know, there I am trying to catch a football from him. That was eye-opening. The guy can throw a rocket. I’ll never do that again – you might not come away with your fingers straight.

Pat Hill Fresno State coach, 1997-2011

I just remember him as a young guy running around out there at practice. He was always throwing the ball, playing with his Nerf ball. You could see he was going to be a quarterback. When I went down to Houston to see David, Derek was around watching film, always studying the game. Then when I got here, it was the same thing. Derek, there wasn’t a throw that he didn’t like. He had a great arm, a great release.

It was hard sitting him those first two years, but I thought it was the best thing. We sat Dave, too. Not because of their talent level, that wasn’t the reason, it was just part of their development.

Josh Harper Wide receiver, 2011-14

He’s the ultimate competitor. If you’re playing basketball against D.C., you want to be on his team because if you’re playing against D.C. you won’t get a shot off. He’s going to grab you. He’s going to hold you. And you can’t … he’s our quarterback, so you can’t really be physical back with him. But he’ll allow it. He’s a physical dude on the court. He’s actually good. He’s a good basketball player, so it’s not like people just let him do what he does. But he’ll hold you, grab you, make sure you don’t get the ball.

David Patterson Offensive line, 2013-present

He was just a really great guy. You would think for someone who is so big-time and had this NFL career already paved out for him, he would only care about himself, but he was the total opposite. Anybody, whether they were a freshman or a senior, on the scout team, whatever, if you needed advice and you went to him he would take time out and talk to you and set you right.

He would always say, ‘Keep your head up. If you get moved down to scouts, just keep working and eventually you’ll make it up as long as you keep working hard.’ He was super encouraging, just a really great guy.

I think he was the first guy who knew everybody’s name on the team. As soon as people came in, he introduced himself, talked a little bit, wanted to know about you. He could name every person on the staff, every player. I’m pretty good with names, but I don’t know … that’s tough. But that’s how much he cared.

Ryan Reggiani Assistant athletics director for external relations, 2010-14

From the get-go you could tell he was special. Paul (Ladwig) and I and Jason Clay, we always had trouble with him because he was so nice and so accommodating and wanted to do every interview. He gave his cell phone number out to every reporter and finally by his senior year, he came in and said, ‘I think I need to get a new cell phone’ and we were like, ‘We’ve been trying to tell you that, Derek …’ He ended up getting a second number that we could call him on and do interviews on. 　

Nathan Madsen Defensive line, 2013-present

Derek’s just a good guy. He tried to elevate everybody. I remember one day, I was just sitting in the locker room and I think I had a long day or something, a lot of classes. But my locker was right by the door and we were getting ready to go out to practice and I was sitting there, just kind of zoning out by myself. I can remember Derek walking by – and I didn’t have a whole lot of conversation with him, I was a freshman, I was trying to earn my spot. But he walks up and says, ‘Hey dude … Nathan, how you doing, man? You good? I see you there zoning out …’

It was really nothing, but it was one of those things that just hits you. He wants everybody to be in the right mindset. He was always looking out for everybody. He wants the best for everybody. Having that, as an athlete, I can tell you firsthand that’s difficult, because you want to worry about yourself all the time and to go past yourself and worry about your teammates and what everyone else is thinking about and making sure they’re right, that takes so much energy and it’s tough to do.

That’s why Derek is so special. That’s why he’s having so much success. he goes that extra mile. Instead of just worrying about himself he takes care of everybody. That’s one thing I remember, and I aspire to do that every day. Don’t worry about myself, take care of my D-line, take care of my defense. Make sure they’re right, make sure their heads are in the right place. Sometimes the smallest things have the biggest impact with people. I think that’s what Derek took to heart.

Robbie Rouse Running back, 2009-12

We were playing Wyoming and we did a double reverse to (Isaiah) Burse and I told Derek, I said, ‘Let me see a highlight’ because he has the lead block on that play.

I’m just thinking Derek is going to be there, but he lays out the linebacker and is so juiced. Not only did we score, but our starting quarterback just lays out a Division I linebacker. I mean, he’s juiced up, looking at the sideline and everything.

You know Derek, he always plays with a lot of emotion, so that was something great to watch. That’s just how Derek is. He’s going to give you everything he has got. 　

This story was originally published September 1, 2017 at 10:36 AM with the headline "For Derek Carr’s teammates, it’s about the memories not the numbers."