Jimmy Carr, Former Eagles Great, Dies At 79

Jimmy Carr, who was an integral part of an NFL Championship team in 1960 with the Philadelphia Eagles, has died in Indiana at age 79.

Carr played nine NFL seasons, also suiting up for the Chicago Cardinals and Washington Redskins, but his best years came as an Eagle. He was the starting left cornerback for the 1960 championship squad and had 13 of his 15 career interceptions with the Eagles, the Associated Press reported.

Jimmy Carr was known for scoring one of the biggest touchdowns for the Eagles that season, CSNPHILLY.com reported. Though Carr often joked about his lack of speed, he was nimble in recovering a fumble in mid-air and returning it 38 yards for a touchdown in a 17-10 victory over the New York Giants on Nov. 20, 1960.

The game — which was famous for teammate Chuck Bednarik’s knockout blow to New York’s Frank Gifford — helped the Eagles end the Giants’ run as the top team in the Eastern Conference. It would be Jimmy Carr’s only touchdown of his career.

Carr was known as “gummy” because he lost most of his teeth as a teenager when he came down with rheumatic fever. It was part of a rough childhood that would shape Jimmy Carr’s outlook on life. As a child in West Virginia, he also suffered severe burns to his legs that required skin grafts and left him in crutches for almost a year.

“All that taught me was that nothing in life comes easy,” Carr said in a 1960 interview. “It was a valuable lesson.”

Aside from his time in the NFL, Jimmy Carr also spent one season in the CFL, playing for the Montreal Alouettes in 1958. He played his college career at Morris Harvey — now called the University of Charleston — and was inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame in 1962.

After his playing career ended, Jimmy Carr spent 24 seasons on the sidelines as an NFL coach, including a two-year return to the Eagles as defensive coordinator. He also spent two years coaching in the USFL as the Denver Gold’s defensive coordinator and between 1995 and 1997 coached in NFL Europe.

Jimmy Carr’s coaching career saw him return to the NFL championship, where he served as a member of the defensive staff of the AFC champion and eventually Super Bowl losing New England Patriots in 1985