Last week I chilled with retired New York Jets player Rob Carper.
Rob the carpenter was a wide receiver who played for the New England Patriots, Philadelphia Eagles and New York Jets. In college, he played for the Universities of Notre Dame and Syracuse, where he was drafted into the NFL by the Cincinnati Bengals.
He ranks amongst the all-time leaders in reception at Syracuse College in most statistics despite only playing for them for two seasons. He ranks fifth in career yards (1656), ninth in touchdowns (10), ninth in receptions (93), seventh in yards/catches (17.8) and second in yards/game (72.0).
We spent the afternoon at Rudy’s Bakery and Café in Ridgewood, Queens. The owner, Toni Ann, greeted us with warmth and tons of baked goods. I asked Rob a few questions, in between eating the cheesecake and drinking coffee…
Rob, you’re the all-time leader at Syracuse University. There may only be three other players in history with your stats. Is this true?
I believe there are several more than three now. But I’m still in the top 10 in the best admissions category at Syracuse and I’ve only officially played two seasons.
Tell me about your love of basketball… I hear you may have followed other sports before the NFL.
Well, my love of Basketball goes back to my childhood. I initially had the goal of becoming a university basketball player with hopes of being in the NBA. But I really received some great advice from my AAU coach who essentially said there are many 6’3″ guards playing basketball, but not many 6’3″ receivers. So my chances of becoming a Pro will be bigger when playing soccer. But I still had goals for possibly playing college until my senior year in highschool when I made a decision to focus solely on preparing to play college football.
Of all the teams you have played for, which color do you think suits you best?
If you were talking at any level, I’d say Syracuse’s orange and blue; but if you mean Pro… then absolutely Jets Green and White.
(I’m strictly asking from an MCM perspective, but that’s ok.)
Do you miss playing professional soccer?
I miss the reality Play day. But preparing for the season and training I 100% do not miss that part.
Currently, what is your favourite memory of one of the NFL teams you played for?
Well, having the ability to score my first goal in a Jets jersey at home in front of all my family and friends vs. San Francisco is number 1 and scoring in my first playoff game is 1a. It’s the same for me.
Are you enjoying retirement? What are you doing with your career?
I actually enjoy retirement. I’m really a personal fitness trainer. So it keeps me in shape and keeps me in the world of athletics.
How do you give back to your fans?
I have not done it in a long time, but I used to do giveaways on Twitter. But most who know me know that I interact with everybody quite freely
What advice can you give a child who wants to become a professional athlete…
If that’s absolutely a goal, do not let anyone get in your way of reaching your full potential with the talents you possess. But also realize that it may not occur for any reason but until then never give up trying hard and making full use of all the resources available today.
Where can we find you on the web?
I’m on Twitter @robcarpenter81 and on IG Rcarp81
You can find Rudy’s Bakery and Café here:
