Growing up in Fordyce, Ronnie Carter learned the importance of athletics at an early age. He loved to play football, basketball and run track. His biggest accomplishment while participating in athletics can be found beginning with his 8th grade football career and concluding his senior year. He and his teammates set the bar for “undefeated” seasons that has not been challenged in his hometown since, but don’t let the success of winning fool you because his biggest athletic influence wasn’t a sport. It was his coach Jimmy “Red” Parker. Carter graduated from Fordyce High School in 1961 and attended the University of Arkansas at Monticello where he earned his Bachelor of Science in Education. Prior to graduating from UAM in 1967, he launched his athletic career at Monticello High School where he became an assistant football coach. In 1968, he moved up to head football coach at Monticello until 1970 when he moved to South Carolina and became an assistant coach at St. Andrews High School in Charleston. The following year, Carter became the head football coach and athletic director at St. Andrews and during that time, he was involved in enlarging the football stadium. In 1972 he received a call from Coach Parker to join him in the college ranks. In 1973, he became an assistant football coach at Clemson University. After an exciting three years at the college level, Carter had the opportunity to return to the high school level, so in 1976, he became the head football coach at Chamblee High School in Chamblee, Georgia. The following year, he was not only given the opportunity to return to his home state of Arkansas, but to become athletic director again. In 1977 Carter became the head football coach and athletic director at Lonoke High School. In years follow-ing, he would hold the head football coaching position at Magnolia, football-athletic director at Russellville, where a new football stadium was built and an all-weather track was completed. Then it was back to Lonoke for the head football coach, head golf coach, dean of students and athletic director positions. While overseeing the athletic department in Lonoke, the program was upgraded to include volleyball, softball, baseball, golf and tennis. State championships were won in girls’ basketball, boys track, football and golf. A new junior high fieldhouse was built, the high school stadium upgraded the seats, lights, pressbox and scoreboard with 25 second clocks, added an underground sprinkling system to the game field and resurfaced the track. He also implemented the Athletic Policy and Procedures Handbook and random drug screenings of all athletics. Lonoke was one of the first athletic programs in Arkansas to do this. In 1998 he became the head football coach and athletic director at Hot Springs. During his tenure there, Carter wrote the proposal to the Arkansas Activities Association to begin spring football practice in Arkansas. He also implemented an Athletic Policy and Procedures Handbook and random drug testing for athletes in all sports. The athletic program was upgraded to include soccer, bowling and volleyball. The facilities were upgraded with two new practice gyms, two new weight rooms and renovation of the existing gym. During that time Hot Springs hosted the overall track finals for all classifications from 2001-2003 and hosted the state track meet and/or Meet of Champions from 1998-2008. It was in 2008 that he retired from public school system athletics. Carter was named the Lonoke Jaycees Educator of the Year in 1978, an assistant AHSCA All-Star football coach in 1978 and 1993, 5AAA Coach of the Year in 1978 and 1979, 5AA Coach of the Year in 1988, 1992 and 1994, State Athletic Director of the Year in 1995, Nike Arkansas AA Coach of the Year in 1995, Athletic Administrator State Award of Merit in 2005 and inducted into the Dallas County Sports Hall of Fame in 2008. Carter has had affiliations with the Arkansas High School Coaches Association, the Arkansas High School Athletic Directors Association and the National Inter-scholastic Athletic Administrators. He has held positions with the Arkansas High School Athletic Directors Association as committee chairman and Arkansas AAAAA Southwest Conference as president. Carter serves his community as a member of First Baptist Church of Hot Springs where he is on the Safety Team, a money counter and a member of Mike Wolf’s Sun-day school class. He also serves as a board member of the Dallas County Hall of Fame in Fordyce. Carter currently holds a secondary certificate in physical education, driver education and social studies. He is presently employed by Southwest Sporting Goods in Arkansas as a sale representative. Carter has been married to his wife Diane for 47 years. They have two daughters, Jennifer Curry and Elizabeth Cooper, and four grandchildren, Katie Curry, Maggie Curry, Carter Cooper, Grayson Cooper with another due in August.