Rodney Carter was as versatile a running back as any in Purdue football history. A four-year starting running back for Purdue from 1982-85 under Coach Leon Burtnett, the Elizabeth, N.J., native is the most prolific receiver out of a Boilermaker backfield in school annals. He ranks fourth on the all-time school list with 181 receptions behind receivers Taylor Stubblefield and John Standeford and tight end Tim Stratton.

His 190 receiving yards in 15 catches against Ohio State in 1985 remains the single-best effort by a Boilermaker back. Carter, a 1985 first-team All-Big Ten selection who still ranks 13th all-time in Purdue all-purpose yards, played with the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1987-89.

He and his wife, former Boilermaker track All-American Yvonne Netterville, live in Bethlehem, Pa., with their 15-year-old son Anthony and 13-year-old daughter Jasmine. Not surprisingly both kids are athletic as Anthony stands 6-feet, 235 pounds and plays tight end and defensive end in football in addition to basketball and baseball. Jasmine competes in basketball, field hockey and is also a cheerleader. Carter, who also played baseball as a freshman at Purdue, is a senior sales representative for Merck, a position he has held for the past four years.

GoldandBlack.com caught up with Carter while he was making his way to speak at today's Lafayette-West Lafayette Chamber of Commerce Football Kickoff Luncheon.

Carter: "I want to give them a little sense of history and what it was like coming through when I did. But more importantly I want to give them what it was like to be a student-athlete. I think, quite frankly, that we need to get back to that.

"I am a big proponent of not looking too far into the future. It has its place, but you really need to take care of and focus upon the matter at hand. That is what I want the 2006 Boilermakers to do."

Carter: "I can relate to what is going on now a little bit because when I came to Purdue in '82, the program was on the heels of the success of (Coach) Jim Young despite it being Coach Burtnett's first season my freshman year. It appears to me that last year's team might have rode the wave of the program's past success and not dealt with what they needed to on the field. It might have snuck up on them a bit.

"It was great to come up for the Spring Game and hear Coach (Joe) Tiller talk. You could hear in his voice that the team was getting back to basics and would not underachieve again.

"One thing people forget about the '84 team is that we had some adversity in the spring before that year having to remove some players from the team. I just remember we had great character and that started with our leaders like (linebacker) Jason Houston and (quarterback) Jim Everett. They took it upon themselves to bring the team together.

"That should be a lesson for the 2006 team."

Carter: "When I first came to Purdue, I was just 17 years old and I think I was the youngest freshman to ever start at the school up to that point. But that wasn't the priority coming in. Two things I came in with, I wanted to make the travel team and by the time I left Purdue I wanted to have my degree. I didn't know when I was a freshman, what the degree was going to be in, but I knew I had to get it.

"One thing I will say when I address the players is that you have to set goals, but equally important is you have to re-visit those goals and tweak them. Heck, when I first came here I just wanted to make the traveling squad. During fall camp, I remember (running backs) Coach (Ray) Sherman coming up to me and saying "if you keep doing what you are doing, you are going to play.' I didn't know what that meant at the time, but a week before the opening game they told me I was going to be the starter against Stanford. It was a great feeling."

Carter: "I think I would have adapted well. I think what some people didn't quite understand about me was my versatility. I think it would have been great to run the ball and move out into the slot. One of the things that happened when I played at Pittsburgh (Steelers) was although I was a running back, I was always in the slot on third downs. I took pride in being versatile, (Coach) Chuck Noll always used to say 'whatever you can do,' and remember that phrase to this day about the fact that there are several ways you can not only make, but help a team.

"Tiller's system is great and I get excited watching them every time I get the chance."

Carter: "I wear those colors proudly. It is an experience (to have played in Pittsburgh). But the true sense is the Purdue experience means so much more to me. Playing for the Steelers was a dream come true, but I bleed Gold and Black from the Boilermakers perspective and not the Steelers perspective. And, I am proud of that. It was much more than the athletic experience at Purdue. I met my wife at Purdue, I was able to play a little baseball and have other great experiences."

Copyright, Boilers, Inc. 2006. All Rights Reserved. Reproducing or using editorial or graphical content, in whole or in part, without permission, is strictly prohibited. E-mail GoldandBlack.com/Boilers, Inc.