He played college football for the Texas A&M Aggies before being selected by Tampa Bay in the ninth round of the 1980 NFL draft.
With star quarterback Doug Williams off to the USFL, Tampa employed Jack Thompson, Jerry Golsteyn and Jeff Komlo and none were up to the task.
Played in the snow and ice, Carter admitted years later that the weather made it hard to focus and that h and his teammates, including quarterback Steve Young, couldn't wait to get to the sidelines and warm themselves by the heaters.
In first game of the 1987 season, Carter caught a touchdown from DeBerg as the Buccaneers defeated the Atlanta Falcons 48–10 in Perkins' debut as Tampa head coach.
[3] During training camp in 1988, Carter injured his hamstring, and struggled to recover, and was cut that summer before the season started.
After his career in the NFL was over, Carter returned home to Bryan, Texas, and took a job with the Boys & Girls Club, a position he still holds.