Austin Carr

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Carr grew up in Washington, D.C., and attended Holy Redeemer School, and later Mackin Catholic High School. At Mackin, Carr teamed with All-City guard Tom Little, who made some national All-American teams before starring at the University of Seattle. As a Junior All Met, Carr scored 475 points in 24 games. During Carr's All Met senior season, he scored 600 points and along with Sterling Savoy, led the Paul Furlong coached Trojans to the Catholic League title over DeMatha. Carr was named Parade All-American along with other 1967 seniors such as Artis Gilmore, Howard Porter, Jim McDaniels, and Curtis Rowe, all of whom became major college stars. The 6-foot 4-inch (1.93 m), 200 lb (91 kg) shooting guard first came to prominence as a highly recruited player for the University of Notre Dame, arriving after having scored more than 2,000 points during his high school career. Carr lived up to his lofty billing by ending his three-year career at Notre Dame with 2,560 points (an average of 34.5 points per game), ranking him fifth all-time in college basketball history at the time of his departure. During his final two seasons, Carr became only the second college player ever to tally more than 1,000 points in a season, joining Pete Maravich in that select group. Carr holds NCAA tournament records for most points in one game (61 vs. Ohio in 1970), most field goals in one game (25), and most field goals attempted in one game (44). He has three of the top five scoring performances in NCAA tournament history. His record scoring average of 50 points per game in seven NCAA playoff games has yet to be broken. He was part of the Notre Dame team which defeated the UCLA Bruins on January 19, 1971, which was UCLA's last defeat until being beaten by Notre Dame exactly three years later, breaking the Bruins' NCAA men's basketball record 88-game winning streak. Carr moved onto the professional ranks as the first overall selection of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 1971 NBA draft. Carr was also selected in the 1971 ABA Draft by the Virginia Squires, but signed with the Cavaliers on April 5, 1971. Carr's first season in the NBA was marred by a series of injuries that limited his output. During the 1971 preseason, he broke his foot and missed the first month of the season. Less than one month after returning to the court, he was sidelined again by another foot injury, missing another se

In Their Own Story

The 1975-76 season marked a turning point for both Carr and the franchise. After two injury-plagued years, he helped lead the Cavaliers to their first winning record (40-42 is mentioned in context of missing playoffs previously, but 1975-76 was the first winning season), Central Division title, and playoff berth. In the Eastern Conference Semifinals, the Cavs faced the Washington Bullets. The series went seven games, culminating in a dramatic Game 7 victory where Dick Snyder hit a go-ahead shot with four seconds left to win 87-85. This run to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they lost to the Boston Celtics, became known locally as "The Miracle of Richfield." Carr averaged 11.8 points in those 13 playoff games. The following season, 1976-77, Carr played all 82 games for the first time since his second year, averaging 16.2 points and helping the team return to the playoffs before falling to Washington again. In 1977-78, he played another full 82-game season, reaching the playoffs for the third consecutive year, where he averaged career-best playoff numbers: 17.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 34.5 minutes per game against the New York Knicks.

Reader's Guide

Austin Carr was the first overall pick in the 1971 NBA draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers. He was named to the 1972 NBA All-Rookie Team. His only NBA All-Star selection came in 1974, after averaging a career-best 21.9 points per game. He holds NCAA tournament records for most points in one game (61 vs. Ohio in 1970), most field goals in one game (25), and most field goals attempted in one game (44). His 61-point game is an NCAA tournament record, not an NBA record. He helped defeat the UCLA Bruins on January 19, 1971, ending their record 88-game winning streak; UCLA's last defeat before that was also by Notre Dame exactly three years earlier.

Did You Know?

• Carr holds NCAA tournament records for most points in one game (61 vs. Ohio in 1970), most field goals in one game (25), and most field goals attempted in one game (44).
• His record scoring average of 50 points per game in seven NCAA playoff games has yet to be broken.
• Carr was named to the 1974 Eastern Conference All-Star team, his only All-Star Game appearance.
• He won the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award in the 1979-1980 season.