Carter played professionally as a defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) with the Denver Broncos from 1975 to 1986.

[citation needed] Carter was inducted into the University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame in 1992.

In July 2005, Carter replaced Billy Joe to become the new head coach at Florida A&M University.

After compiling a 3–8 record in the 2007 season, Florida A&M fired Carter, citing that the university needed to "move in a new direction".

[2] On December 5 2013, Carter was hired as the defensive line coach for the Purdue Boilermakers football team.