Antelope Valley College mourns the loss of Brent Carder
LANCASTER - It is with great sadness that Marauder Athletics has learned that one of its true icons, Brent Carder, has died.
To many, he is Marauder Athletics. The Antelope Valley Press named him the sixth Most Influential Sports Figure in the Antelope Valley, and he is first on the list of the Top 20 People Who Shaped AVC Athletics.
To show the esteem Antelope Valley College had for him, the campus' stadium is named in his honor, the Brent Carder Marauder Stadium. He played for or coached nine of the Marauders' 13 conference championships, 13 of their 18 bowl games, and was undefeated in playoff games.
Native to the Antelope Valley, Carder was one of the people who molded the area's academic and athletic successes. While most would presume Carder was just a football coach, he was more active in and proud of the off-field accomplishments of his players, staff, and students, often talking about what he really believed to be his job -- creating a total person of a student-athlete, on and off the field.
He took over as the Marauder athletic director in 1975, and in his 28 years in that position, Carder oversaw one of the most progressive community college programs in the country.
Deeply committed to the development of the complete person, Carder implemented many measures that help those participating in the department progress as far as possible personally, academically, and athletically.
Under Carder's directorship, AVC implemented mandatory drug testing and created an academic support program. He also worked with the Marauder Club, the athletic department's booster support group, to maintain a balance that kept the club giving athletics maximum support while staying well within the guidelines of the various governing bodies on athletics. The Academic Support Group paid tremendous dividends to all involved, and in a tangible way, as Antelope Valley College still boasts more California Community College Scholar-Athlete Awards than any other school.
After the 2006 Marauder season, Carder stepped away from the sidelines, something most who knew him well thought he would never do. In 37 seasons, Carder-led teams had compiled a 189-185-5 record, which made him the 11th all-time winningest coach in the nation and fifth all-time in California at the time.
Under his guidance, the Marauders had 30 All-America selections and 48 All-state picks, including four state Most Valuable Players.
His football teams have won two state championships (1974 and 1975), won or tied for the conference title seven times, and received 13 bowl game bids. Carder himself was named Coach of the Year in 1974 and 1975 by the California Community Colleges Football Coaches and in 1987 by the California Coaches Association.
A 1958 graduate of Antelope Valley High School, Carder played guard on a team that reached the CIF quarter-finals. He moved on to play for the Marauders in 1958 and 1959 as a guard on two teams that won conference championships and was named Most Inspirational in both seasons. Carder finished his playing career at UC Santa Barbara, where he played guard and received both his bachelor's and master's degrees.
In 1963 and 1964, Carder was a graduate assistant for the Gauchos, then moved to Eugene, OR for a similar position with the University of Oregon.
The following season he returned to the Antelope Valley as a Marauder assistant coach before being named Athletic Director and Head Football Coach for Bonita High School.
In 1969, his team posted a 12-1 record, losing in the CIF finals. The next season he became head coach for the Marauders.
(Glenn Haller, Antelope Valley College)