Born and raised in Ardmore, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia, Carter attended Lower Merion High School.
[1] He played college football at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, from 1980 to 1983.
[4] The New York Jets selected Carter in the first round (tenth pick overall) of the 1984 NFL draft.
He spent his final two NFL seasons with the Los Angeles Raiders in 1988 and 1989.
In six NFL seasons, Carter appeared in sixty-four games, started forty-seven of them, intercepted four passes, and recovered three fumbles.