Jim Carter, a standout fullback who helped the Gophers win the 1967 Big Ten football championship and also played hockey, died Thursday at age 75 after battling cancer.
A South St. Paul native, Carter went on to play nine seasons in the NFL with the Green Bay Packers, shifting to defense to become a Pro Bowl linebacker.
Carter, a 2013 inductee into the university's M Club Hall of Fame, played football for the Gophers from 1967 to '69 and hockey in 1967-68. He led the Gophers in rushing with 519 yards in 1967 and served as a team captain two years later. In his Minnesota career, he rushed 359 times for 1,457 yards.
A third-round draft pick of the Packers in 1970, Carter replaced legendary middle linebacker Ray Nitschke in 1971 and went on to earn a spot in the Pro Bowl in 1973.
A hockey defenseman, Carter played in 25 games for the Gophers in 1967-68. He scored three goals, assisted on two and amassed 54 penalty minutes.
Carter played football, hockey and baseball for South St. Paul High School, earning All-America honors in football and hockey.