File photo/AmicoHoops,.net
For Cavaliers first No. 1 overall pick Carr, it all started in DC
Today, Austin Carr is simply known as "Mr. Cavalier."
But before Carr became the longtime analyst of FOX Sports Ohio broadcast of Cleveland Cavaliers games, he was the franchise's first No. 1 overall draft pick (1971).
Before that, he was an explosive, high-scoring guard at Notre Dame.
And before that, he was one of the greatest players to ever come out of Washington, D.C.
D.C.-based reporter David Aldridge featured Carr in a piece for The Athletic earlier this week, giving Carr an opportunity to discuss his life and career in basketball.
"When you're that long ago, people forget," Carr, 72, told Aldridge.
But there was nothing forgettable about Carr's game. In his three seasons at Notre Dame, he averaged a whopping 34.6 points on 53 percent shooting. (And remember, this was before the introduction of the 3-point line.)
As a senior, he averaged 38 points and was selected as national player of the year by both the Associated Press and United Press International.
Carr was selected as both AP and UPI Player of the Year as a senior at Notre Dame.
He also erupted for 61 points in his first NCAA Tournament game, a win over nationally ranked Ohio University. He scored 52 in his next game, vs. Kentucky.
His three-game NCAA tourney average his senior season was 41.7 points, as the Fighting Irish made a run to the Final Four.
"For some reason, people just never, they act like it was a ho-hum thing," Carr told Aldridge. "I look at the numbers and go 'wait a minute; you've got to give me a little credit.' ... My best games were in those games, because I really wanted to go to the Final Four. I would be ready to play. I didn't care what happened. We needed one more guy to step up, and I think that would've gotten us over the hump."
There are hundreds of well-known hoopsters from the D.C. area. Along with Carr, the list includes Elgin Baylor, Adrian Dantley, Dave Bing and more recently, Kevin Durant, just to name a few.
Carr, now a FOX Sports Ohio analyst, played for the Cavaliers from 1971-80.
As for his time in Cleveland, Carr was named an NBA All-Star his third season. But as Aldridge explained, "knee and foot injuries took away the best of his prime years with the Cavaliers."
Still, Carr was an integral part of the 1975-76 "Miracle of Richfield" team that also featured Campy Russell, Jim Chones, Foots Walker, Jim Brewer, Bingo Smith and Dick Snyder. That squad, coached by Bill Fitch, was the first to lift pro basketball in Cleveland to new heights.
Carr played for the Cavs from 1971-80, averaging 16.2 points on 45 percent shooting. He remains one of the key faces of the organization today.
There's a reason for that, as Carr perhaps represents Cavs basketball more than any individual ever. And it all started in D.C.
