NASHVILLE – New Titans general manager Ran Carthon first made a name for himself on a high school football field in Key West, Florida.
It’s where Carthon got the attention of college coaches, including Steve Spurrier, who was coaching the Florida Gators at the time.
Spurrier had never recruited a player from Key West before.
“I used to tell people later: I should have always tried to find a player to recruit from down there,” Spurrier said with a smile. “It’s obviously a fun place to go.”
Carthon was worth the trip.
He committed to the Gators and ended up turning into a productive player at the school. Spurrier coached Carthon two years, and when Ron Zook took over after Spurrier left for the NFL (Washington), Carthon blossomed into a player who ended up getting the attention of NFL teams himself.
“Ran was always a great teammate, and he did everything the coaches asked,” Spurrier said of Carthon, who rushed for 1,353 career yards on 270 carries (5.0 avg) and 11 touchdowns while playing in 48 games, with 11 starts. “I always remember him being such a wonderful young man, conscientious. You knew he was going to be successful at whatever he chose to do in life.”
Many years later, Spurrier and Carthon would in fact meet again, under different circumstances.
Following his playing career at Florida, the Indianapolis Colts signed Carthon as an undrafted free agent in 2004, and he was with the Colts until 2006. Carthon finished his career with the Lions before eventually transitioning to life as a scout.
After spending four years as a scout with the Atlanta Falcons, Carthon went on to work in the personnel departments of the St. Louis/Los Angeles Rams before eventually joining the San Francisco 49ers.
It was in San Francisco where Spurrier, the 1966 Heisman Trophy winner who played from 1967-1975 with the 49ers, crossed paths with Carthon again.
A native of Johnson City, Tennessee, Spurrier returned to the West Coast for a 49ers event. Carthon was director of player personnel…
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