Jim Carter, former Green Bay Packers linebacker, dead at 75

Former Green Bay Packers linebacker Jim Carter passed away this week on Thanksgiving Day at the age of 75 following a battle with cancer. He is survived by his wife, Victoria.

Drafted in the third round in 1970, Carter controversially replaced fan favorite and future Pro Football Hall of Famer Ray Nitschke as the starting middle linebacker in 1971. He played eight seasons for the Packers, earning second-team all-NFC middle linebacker in 1972.

One season later, he earned a Pro Bowl nomination. He was the only Packers’ middle or inside linebacker chosen between 1964, which was the only year Nitschke made it, and 2010, when A.J. Hawk, the Packers’ franchise leader in tackles, earned his nomination.

Dave Hanner, who was then defensive coordinator of the Packers, compared him to Nitschke after Carter beat him out in the competition for the starting job in 1971.

“He was tougher and could get through trash,” Hanner said in a 2005 interview. “(Nitschke) was having trouble with cut blocks and all that. He wasn’t quite as aggressive. He could run, but as far as changing direction, he wasn’t the same… was going to get hurt. That’s the way all of us felt at the time.”

Though he was a defensive captain in 1973 and ’74, he relinquished the duties after he crossed his veteran teammates’ picket line and reported to training camp during the players’ strike the next summer. His career with the Packers was far from drama-free. Thirty years after his career ended, Carter returned to Lambeau Field to well-deserved cheers that he seldom heard during his tenure.

“Carter was an excellent linebacker,” cornerback Willie Buchanon said in a 2005 interview. “We didn’t ask him to cover. All he had to do was go between the tackles. And he did a good job of that. But the fans loved Nitschke. They did more booing of (Carter) than anybody. That was a shame.”

Carter leaves lasting legacy in Minnesota

Jim Carter began his journey to the NFL at the University of Minnesota, where he also played hockey. The fullback excelled in both sports but ultimately, he decided to enter the NFL Draft.

Carter is in the University of Minnesota Hall of Fame, the South St. Paul High School Sports Hall of Fame, the Mancini’s (St. Paul) Hall of Fame, and the Minnesota Old Timer’s Football Association Hall of Fame.

After retiring from the Packers, the former linebacker bought a Ford dealership and went on to own several other automotive businesses.