All-State project: More on Lydell Carr

FOOTBALL OU UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA 1984 03: Caption reads "Oklahoma's Lydell Carr skips out of tackle last Saturday en route to a 137-yard performance against Pittsburgh." Photographer unknown. Date photo was taken unknown. Photo was published in The Daily Oklahoman 9-22-1984.

In Sunday’s paper, we started a series on All-State football history that we’ll run leading up to the unveiling of the 100th Oklahoman All-State team in late December.

The first story in the series was on Lydell Carr, the dynamic Enid running back on the 1983 All-State team that went on to star at Oklahoma. You can read that story here.

Here’s some more on Carr:

-When he got to OU, his roommate was Patrick Collins, who played for the Tulsa Washington team Carr’s Enid squad beat 14-0 in the Class 5A state championship game that year.

“That was part of us actually wanting to room together because we knew each other from that game,” Carr said. “We didn’t talk much about it, though.”

Collins’ Hornets came into that game No. 3 in the nation according to USA Today. Collins ran for 43 yards in the game while Carr had 164 and two scores.

Carr returned the opening kick 90 yards for a touchdown, then scored again in the fourth quarter to give the Plainsmen some breathing room.

“It turned out to be our night,” Carr said.

-Almost 30 years later, Carr’s high school career still leaves a mark, both on the Enid community and Carr.

Carr returned home earlier this year to speak with this year’s Plainsmen.

For Carr, the experience brought back memories of his playing days.

“It meant a lot,” Carr said of his football career. “Remembering the way I was raised, I didn’t have a lot growing up and just (remember) wanting to provide everything that I can for my children.”

Carr played five games for the Phoenix Cardinals in 1989 after running for nearly 3,000 yards for the Sooners from 1984-87.

Still, he wonders if it could’ve been more.

“There’s always that thought,” Carr said. “Could I have that just a little bit better? Could I have tried a little more? Could I have done something a little different? Maybe if I would’ve done this, then I could’ve done more.”

-Ron Lancaster has plenty to say about Lydell Carr, though he also still makes it a point to talk about the other side of the ball.

“What people forget about that team was how good the defense was,” Lancaster said.

It’s hard to argue with that after Enid held Tulsa Washington to just 56 total yards.

But there was no doubt Carr was the leader of the team, both in talent and in drive.

“Lydell wasn’t the fastest guy in the world; He wasn’t the biggest kid; He wasn’t the greatest tailback necessarily,” Lancaster said. “But he played with a lot of heart. He instilled a confidence in people around him.”