Photo by Craig Fritz

Senior George Carter charges toward a running back during practice. Carter has worked his way up from the special teams unit to a major role on the UNM defense. "He's made the most out of his college career and is a great example of what you can accomplish when you work hard," UNM head coach Rocky Long said.

Photo by Craig Fritz

Senior George Carter charges toward a running back during practice. Carter has worked his way up from the special teams unit to a major role on the UNM defense. "He's made the most out of his college career and is a great example of what you can accomplish when you work hard," UNM head coach Rocky Long said.

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Lobo George Carter looks like your garden variety linebacker.

He has the chiseled 6-foot-2, 225-pound build of a veteran athlete.

He hits foes hard enough to force fumbles.

And he is fluent in both elaborate defensive schemes and trash talk that dominate football field across America.

But there's a lot more to Carter than football.

He loves to read (and not just the sports pages).

He loves to talk politics.

And he loves to steamroll stereotypes as much as sacking quarterbacks.

"I definitely have a social conscience, and I'm not afraid to speak my mind," said Carter, a senior starter on the University of New Mexico football team.

"I'm here to play football, but I'm also here to get an education. I'm here to be part of a university and the free exchange of ideas. I'm here to make a difference."

It's safe to say Carter has made some major ripples while donning a Lobos uniform.

On the field, Carter is a smart defender capable of making game-changing plays. He relentlessly studies his assignments and works in the weight room to prepare for every game.

Off the field, Carter has emerged as a strong student and community leader. He cares as much about ending the war in Iraq, helping the poor and fixing the education system as he does about winning a Mountain West Conference championship and a bowl game.

"He's made the most out of his college career and is a great example of what you can accomplish when you work hard," UNM head coach Rocky Long said.

"George is a very smart player who is well-prepared for every game and works really hard. And you can't ask for much more out of a student in the classroom and in the community. He's a great leader and role model."

Carter spent his early years in paradise.

His father landed a job in Hawaii, and Carter considers the islands his first home.

"I had a great experience growing up in a beautiful atmosphere and really felt very happy there," he said.

He wanted to take up football, but he wasn't lean enough to make the team.

"I was way too big," he said. "I was actually a pretty fat kid. They wouldn't let me play, which was really the only frustrating part about being in Hawaii."

The family eventually moved to New Mexico, and his parents got divorced. The changes at home hurt Carter, but he it helped him forge a close bond with his mother, Dolores Guillen.

"We had to work harder for things and it made me appreciate the struggles that a lot of other people endure," he said.

Carter enjoyed some relief when he finally could join a football team.

It was his chance to follow in his uncle Mike Carter's footsteps. The elder Carter was a running back for the Lobos from 1978-82 and ranks in the top 10 rushers all-time at UNM with 2,364 yards.

"I loved playing football," he said. "A lot of people played football in my family, and I knew it was the sport for me. As soon as I got a chance to play, I never left the game. It's in my blood."

George Carter kept going to the school of hard knocks, playing football at Albuquerque High.

The Bulldogs have a storied athletics history, but they have fallen on hard times. That didn't diminish his love for the game or his school.

"We had to fight for every win, but I'm proud I went to school there," he said. "It was a good experience and taught me I had to work really hard if I expected any good results on the field."

UNM offered Carter a scholarship, but he had to slowly work his way through the ranks.

He began on the scout team, then seemed to be stuck on the special teams unit.

Carter made a few big plays as a sophomore and finally earned a spot as a starting linebacker his junior year.

This season, Carter is stalwart on the linebacker corps and came up with one of the biggest defensive plays of the season. Arizona quarterback Willie Tuitama was rumbling toward what appeared to be an easy touchdown last week when Carter swarmed and knocked the ball out of his hands. Tuitama's fumble was recovered by the Lobos on the 2-yard line, and UNM went on to pull off a 29-27 road win.

"It's unbelievable going out there making big plays on defense," Carter said. "I feel like we've got a long way to go, and I've got a lot of work to do individually, but we're still doing some great things."

While he has clawed for every inch of football fame, Carter has done some impressive work away from football.

He pushed himself in the classroom, earning his bachelor's degree in marketing in May. Carter is now pursuing a master's degree in business.

"My degree is really special to me because I'm the first in my family to graduate from college," he said.

Carter isn't sure when he became passionate about politics and community activism, but he has been passionate about social causes for a long time.

While many of his teammates listen to hard core rappers like 50 Cent and N.W.A., Carter is more content listening to Bob Marley, Kanye West and Mos Def.

"I love hip-hop, but I'm not into the top-selling guys who don't help their community," he said. "I appreciate artists who talk about issues that impact young black people in this country and all over the world. I listen to that music all the time and before a game to get focused and remind me of what's important in life."

Carter was active in student government at Albuquerque High, serving as student body and Black Student Union president his senior year.

He joined the Black Student Union at UNM and jammed as many community service activities as possible into his busy schedule. Carter has worked as a mentor to at-risk teens and worked with churches to provide food and clothing for the homeless. If the Lobos are reading to students at elementary schools or visiting children at hospitals, Carter is among the first to sign up to help.

Carter calls a class he took last year with visiting professor David Hilliard, a founding member of the Black Panther Party, one of the most influential experiences of his life.

During the class, students were encouraged to survey their community and pick a project to help uplift their neighbors. The group decided to work with Project Share and plant a community garden for the homeless near the airport.

"The people's reaction to our garden was incredible," Carter said. "It was a ton of work, but I've never done anything more rewarding."

Hilliard only was at UNM for one year, but he recognized something special in Carter.

"He was a very energetic and a very productive member of our student gardening project," Hilliard said in a phone interview from Oakland, Calif. "He was one of the students that demonstrated great leadership.

"We started literally from dirt and had to do some really intense labor to set up the irrigation system. George was the man who stepped up to do that work. It was hard labor, but he was passionate about making the project happen."

Carter was more than muscle.

He attended every class and soaked up every bit of information he could from Hilliard.

"He was very interested in the civil rights movement and the Black Panther Party's work in the '60s and '70s," Hilliard said. "He is very bright and demonstrated a selfless dedication to helping less fortunate people in his community.

"I'm proud of a lot of people I met in New Mexico, but I know George is a leader. He will have a lot of success in the future and do some really special things for his community."