Advising students to take a weakness and turn it into a strength, Kevin Carter, defensive end for the Super Bowl-champion St. Louis Rams, said this was the key that helped him develop his fullest potential as an athlete.

Carter shared his philosophy about turning weaknesses to personal advantage during a master's tea held on April 19 at Calhoun College. The tea, sponsored by Dr. William Sledge, master of Calhoun College, and his wife, Betsy, drew about 50 interested students and guests who listened as Carter and his wife, Shima, also talked about their relationship, the prospect of becoming first-time parents in five months, life in the National Football League and living up to one's own expectations.

Julie Goran '00 of Calhoun College, who hails from St. Louis, invited Carter and his wife to the tea. Goran met Carter and his Rams teammates when she worked with them last summer at the "Aim High St. Louis" program that helps disadvantaged individuals. An NFL Films crew recorded the tea for later broadcast on television as an "Under the Helmet" presentation.

During his talk, Carter joked about a book he'd recently read called "Who Moved My Cheese?," which, he said, helped him focus on his own obsession with being a "class-one control freak ... my wife calls me 'Rainman' because I'm very ritualistic." He said the book discusses the fact that whatever one is striving for can change as one moves toward a particular goal.

"Achieving your greatness kind of singles out the things that you want to change in yourself and how you want to become a better person," added Carter. "My dad always told me, 'Kevin, if there's ever anything that you want in your life, work hard for it, work 110%, plan things out so much that there can't be anything that will go wrong.' And when you're a kid, that's a valuable thing to learn."

The football player cautioned, however, that with certain privileges come more responsibilities, especially when one attends a high-ranking university or works in a highly publicized job, such as in the NFL.

"People are going to see that you go to Yale, to an Ivy League school, and they're automatically going to expect a lot more from you," he told the students in his audience. "There are going to be tremendous demands on your life. People are going to say 'What have you done with your life? Have you found a cure for cancer? Have you developed a new drug?' "

As part of his community service, Carter co-founded with his teammates the Rams Rushmen, a charity that donates to the St. Patrick's homeless center in St. Louis $500 for every quarterback sack the team makes, and then challenges area companies to match the donations. Last year, the group raised $150,000 to aid the homeless. That same year, Carter led the NFL with 16 and 1/2 quarterback sacks as the starting defensive end for the Super Bowl XXXIV champion St. Louis Rams.

The 27-year-old football player, who is an original St. Louis Ram, said that he had only 5 to 6 years left to really distinguish himself in football before he'd have to develop a career, perhaps in teaching. But, he noted, "I have the rest of my life to become a better person, a great man."

-- By Thomas Violante

T H I SW E E K ' SS T O R I E S

Yale unveils 'Framework for Campus Planning'

Department of Political Science adds eleven new faculty members

$3 Million dollar grant to fund research on mental disorder

Talk by Nobel laureate to highlight Student Research Day

Conference to explore link between science, religion and nature

Alanna Schepartz named Harris Professor

Chertow is honored for environmental work

Football player gives advice on achieving potential

Author tells of goal to change 'archaic' publishing process

A job loss can affect the health of older workers, says study

Study confirms irregular fetal heartbeats are not a cause for panic

Yale College juniors selected for honors by Council of Masters

Sledge reappointed Calhoun College master

Search committee formed for dean of Divinity School

Scholar on families and illness joins nursing faculty

Ten physicians are elected to Yale Faculty Practice board

Center has announced winners of the first Wilson Postdoctoral Fellowships in Humanities

'Witness,' a documentary based on Yale's Holocaust testimony archive, wins film award

Free screening for anxiety, depression

Talks explain how to apply for NIH grant

Campus Notes

Yale Scoreboard

In the News

Bulletin Home|Visiting on Campus| Calendar of Events|Bulletin Board

Classified Ads|Search Archives|Production Schedule|Bulletin Staff

Public Affairs Home|News Releases| E-Mail Us|Yale Home Page