Fresno State to retire Derek Carr's No. 4 jersey
Fresno State football will honor one of its most accomplished alums during its season opener.
Bulldogs head coach Jeff Tedford announced Monday that Derek Carr’s uniform number will be retired on Sept. 2, when the Bulldogs open up against FCS Incarnate Word. Carr’s No. 4 will be retired during a halftime ceremony, Tedford said.
“Don’t do it for yourself. Do it for each other.” On Sept. 2nd, @derekcarrqb’s @FresnoStateFB jersey will be retired. #GoDogs pic.twitter.com/UDSFoj3yXp
— Fresno St. Bulldogs (@FSAthletics) July 31, 2017
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Carr, who put up record-setting numbers during his time at Fresno, will become the seventh player in program history to have his number retired, including his brother, David. David Carr was the No. 1 overall selection by the Houston Texans back in 2002 and played 11 seasons in the NFL.
The younger Carr was chosen in the second round of the 2014 draft by the Oakland Raiders and has quickly established himself as one of the best young quarterbacks in the league. At Fresno, Derek Carr was a three-year starter and finished his career with 12,843 yards and 113 touchdowns. He had a 24-15 record as a starter, including his senior season when the Bulldogs went 11-2 and won the Mountain West title.
Overall, Carr set 27 Fresno State records.
In addition to David Carr’s No. 1 and Derek Carr’s No. 4 uniform numbers, Fresno State has also retired the numbers of quarterbacks Kevin Sweeney (No. 9) and Trent Dilfer (No. 12), wide receiver Henry Ellard (No. 83), running back Dale Messer (No. 21) and kicker Vince Petrucci (No. 14).
The opener against Incarnate Word marks the first game of the Tedford era. Tedford, who played quarterback and spent several seasons as an assistant at Fresno, takes over after a brief stint as an analyst at Washington. Before his time with the Huskies, Tedford was the head coach at Cal from 2002 to 2012. He had an 82-57 record with the Bears but was fired after the team went 3-9 in 2012.
Tedford was hired to be the offensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before the 2014 season but took a leave of absence because of heart surgery and never coached for the team. He then spent the 2015 as head coach of the BC Lions in the Canadian Football League in 2015.
The Bulldogs went 1-11 in 2016. Tim DeRuyter was fired as head coach after a 1-7 start.
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Sam Cooper is a writer for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
