Juan Villa / The Collegian
Ten years ago, a young man named David Carr from Bakersfield joined the Fresno State football team in the first recruiting class of new coach Pat Hill.
Today, Carr has joined just five other former Bulldogs to have their jerseys retired at Bulldog Stadium.
“It’s a pretty cool deal,â€Â Carr said. “If I said I thought about it when I was younger, I’d be lying.â€Â
Carr̢۪s no. 8 jersey was retired in a ceremony at halftime of Saturday̢۪s season opener against Sacramento State.
Carr said he wants to be remembered as a guy who played the game the right way.
“I can still feel the great emotion that comes with playing at Bulldog Stadium in front of wonderful fans,â€Â Carr said at the ceremony.
During half-time, Carr̢۪s nameplate with his no. 8 was displayed underneath the press box alongside his longtime idol and former Fresno State quarterback Trent Dilfer.
“He did an awesome thing for this university and this university did an awesome thing for him,â€Â Hill said of Carr.
Carr received a standing ovation from the Bulldog fans. A tribute was presented on the scoreboard during halftime.
“From the bottom of my heart, thank you,â€Â Carr said to the fans. “This is far above anything I could have ever asked for. This is unbelievable!â€Â
After his career as a Bulldog, Carr was the first overall draft pick in 2002 and played five seasons as the Houston Texans̢۪ starting quarterback.
Released after the 2006 season, he became a free agent and was acquired by the Carolina Panthers.
“I could have gone two other places and started right away but I felt comfortable with the situation at Carolina,â€Â Carr said.
As a Bulldog, Carr was starting quarterback in 2000 and 2001 after redshirting in 1999.
His most successful season with the Bulldogs was in 2001 where he played in all 14 games and became the sixth quarterback in NCAA history to throw for 4,000 yards. He was top in the nation with 4,839 passing yards and 46 touchdowns.
In his explosive 2001 season, Carr received numerous awards, including Football News Offensive Player of the Year, the Sammy Baugh Award given to the nation̢۪s top college passer and the Western Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year.
Carr also appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated while he was a Bulldog and again in 2002 as a Texan after becoming the no. 1 draft pick.
The jersey retirement was years in the making for Carr, who said this return to Fresno State will not be the last.
“It’s exciting to come back here,â€Â Carr said. “I still feel like a kid coming to Bulldog Stadium and jumping over the fence to play catch with my dad.â€Â