Feeling strong and ready to tackle his redshirt sophomore season, Sean Carter had proven that he was a major key to the Monarch’s defensive secondary.
Carter plays with a lot of emotion on the field bringing excitement to the entire team and after racking up 48 tackles as a redshirt freshman and earning the starting position during the offseason. Carter was missing only one thing; a scholarship. Little did he know, what seemed to be another August summer training camp day would change his life dramatically. With the day winding down and the team meeting steadily approaching, Carter spoke privately with Head Coach Bobby Wilder about his future with the program.
Sean brought up that in his current financial situation, he might have to sit out for a season or consider transferring from ODU. Wilder reassured him that hard work does not go unnoticed and that “good things happen to good people.” Carter’s attitude quickly picked up as he left Wilder’s office knowing that he had to continue to work hard to prove that he deserved a scholarship in the future. Minutes later the team met for their weekly team meeting and as the meeting was coming to an end, Wilder mentioned that he had a very big announcement that he wanted to make. He began to talk about, “Good things happening to good people” and immediately Carter’s eyes became full, “I knew what he was going to say and I felt like I was going to cry, but was too excited,” said Carter.
Wilder continued to tell the team that Sean Carter’s hard work, determination, and attitude had earned him a full scholarship. While his teammates congratulated him, they also reminded him that this was just the beginning of something very big for him. Respect from his teammates meant a lot to Carter, knowing that the players around him were just as excited as he was fueled him to want to work harder on the field; not only for himself, but for his teammates as well. This moment with his teammates was very emotional, but now Carter had to pull himself together and relay the news to his father. His father was torn with emotion after hearing the news and responded, “No more bills” in reference to the tuition, rent, and meal plans they had previously been stressing; while reminding his son that just because he’s on scholarship, he must continue working hard and learning every day.
For Carter, this recognition of hard work could not have come at a better time, allowing him to focus solely on his academics and football. One moment he was considering options other than ODU, and the next he is given this incredible gift.
By Jonathan Moore