Legendary Coach Gene Carpenter Remembered
12/11/2009 10:53:37 AM | Football
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Millersville, Pa. - In the 121 years of Millersville Athletics, no one figure meant more to its success than Dr. Gene A. Carpenter. The legendary football coach, administrator and educator passed away on Thursday, Dec. 10 at the age of 70.
Carpenter, emeritus professor in wellness and sports science, arrived at Millersville in 1970 after a brief stint at Adams State and several years serving in the United States Marine Corps. He built a powerhouse football program and helped guide the entire athletic department to unprecedented heights. In 31 seasons at the helm, Carpenter's teams totaled a 212-89-6 record. His 220 total wins ranks 29th in among coaches in NCAA history. He is one of only 29 coaches in the history of college football to win 200 or more games at one college. Carpenter's wins are nearly half of the program's 456.
He produced 12 seasons with eight or more victories, 10 PSAC Eastern Division titles and winning records in 28 of his 31 seasons. Forty-nine of his players earned All-America honors. Carpenter was inducted into the Millersville University Athletic Hall of Fame in 2006, and this fall, he was honored with a spot in the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame.
But Carpenter's impact reached far beyond wins and championships. He touched the lives of thousands of student-athletes, became a father-figure for some and gave Millersville Athletics a rallying cry and a unifying sense of pride: Marauder Pride.
In a 2001 article of The Review, Carpenter summed up Marauder Pride. “Marauder Pride is an attitude. It's about confidence. A feeling of satisfaction. It's almost something that's unexplainable. It's brotherhood, humility, responsibility, humor, selflessness. Those are the things I really believe in. I live by that. It isn't something you do every once in a while. It's something you do every day.”
Those two simple words became a catch phrase for the football team but permeated all of Millersville Athletics. While Carpenter served as director of men's athletics from 1981-97, programs all across campus including men's basketball, women's basketball, field hockey, lacrosse, cross country and tennis soared to prominence on the national scene.
Since his retirement following the 2000 season, Millersville's athletic training facility—The Carpenter-Trout Training Center—was partly named in his honor, and the Gene A. Carpenter Foundation was established by former players to honor their coach and raise funds for the Millersville football program.
“He had such a commitment of service to his country, his family and to young men and Millersville University,” said former player and now Lancaster County commissioner Scott Martin in a recent news article. “He gave his heart to Millersville, its tradition and the young men he was trying to mold.”
Carpenter's career and impact was eloquently summed up by former Millersville Sports Information Director Greg Wright in an article in 2001. “Carpenter's longevity has been something to behold; no coach in any intercollegiate sport at Millersville had served as long over a consecutive time period. But more than that, it is his integrity—and the selfless nature in which he gave so much to his student-athletes and to Millersville that will be long remembered.”
For years, the phrase “The Difference PRIDE Makes!” appeared on football publications and served as a slogan for the football team. And Millersville University will always remember the difference that Gene Carpenter made.
Carpenter and his wife, Sandra, have five children—Jodie, Julie, Gene II, Steve and Scott.
Services for Carpenter will be held Monday, Dec. 14 at Calvary Church at 1051 Landis Valley Road in Lancaster, Pa. The viewing will be from 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. with the service at 2 p.m.
Millersville, Pa. - In the 121 years of Millersville Athletics, no one figure meant more to its success than Dr. Gene A. Carpenter. The legendary football coach, administrator and educator passed away on Thursday, Dec. 10 at the age of 70.
Carpenter, emeritus professor in wellness and sports science, arrived at Millersville in 1970 after a brief stint at Adams State and several years serving in the United States Marine Corps. He built a powerhouse football program and helped guide the entire athletic department to unprecedented heights. In 31 seasons at the helm, Carpenter's teams totaled a 212-89-6 record. His 220 total wins ranks 29th in among coaches in NCAA history. He is one of only 29 coaches in the history of college football to win 200 or more games at one college. Carpenter's wins are nearly half of the program's 456.
He produced 12 seasons with eight or more victories, 10 PSAC Eastern Division titles and winning records in 28 of his 31 seasons. Forty-nine of his players earned All-America honors. Carpenter was inducted into the Millersville University Athletic Hall of Fame in 2006, and this fall, he was honored with a spot in the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame.
But Carpenter's impact reached far beyond wins and championships. He touched the lives of thousands of student-athletes, became a father-figure for some and gave Millersville Athletics a rallying cry and a unifying sense of pride: Marauder Pride.
In a 2001 article of The Review, Carpenter summed up Marauder Pride. “Marauder Pride is an attitude. It's about confidence. A feeling of satisfaction. It's almost something that's unexplainable. It's brotherhood, humility, responsibility, humor, selflessness. Those are the things I really believe in. I live by that. It isn't something you do every once in a while. It's something you do every day.”
Those two simple words became a catch phrase for the football team but permeated all of Millersville Athletics. While Carpenter served as director of men's athletics from 1981-97, programs all across campus including men's basketball, women's basketball, field hockey, lacrosse, cross country and tennis soared to prominence on the national scene.
Since his retirement following the 2000 season, Millersville's athletic training facility—The Carpenter-Trout Training Center—was partly named in his honor, and the Gene A. Carpenter Foundation was established by former players to honor their coach and raise funds for the Millersville football program.
“He had such a commitment of service to his country, his family and to young men and Millersville University,” said former player and now Lancaster County commissioner Scott Martin in a recent news article. “He gave his heart to Millersville, its tradition and the young men he was trying to mold.”
Carpenter's career and impact was eloquently summed up by former Millersville Sports Information Director Greg Wright in an article in 2001. “Carpenter's longevity has been something to behold; no coach in any intercollegiate sport at Millersville had served as long over a consecutive time period. But more than that, it is his integrity—and the selfless nature in which he gave so much to his student-athletes and to Millersville that will be long remembered.”
For years, the phrase “The Difference PRIDE Makes!” appeared on football publications and served as a slogan for the football team. And Millersville University will always remember the difference that Gene Carpenter made.
Carpenter and his wife, Sandra, have five children—Jodie, Julie, Gene II, Steve and Scott.
Services for Carpenter will be held Monday, Dec. 14 at Calvary Church at 1051 Landis Valley Road in Lancaster, Pa. The viewing will be from 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. with the service at 2 p.m.
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