Two-time All American, two-time Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year, and hero of TCU’s Rose Bowl victory
43 | Tank Carder (2007-2011)
Responsible for perhaps the most important play in the history of TCU Athletics, Tank Carder delivered the game-winning two-point conversion pass-break up to bring home the Rose Bowl victory for the Horned Frogs, finishing the 2010 season with a perfect 13-0 record and No. 2 national ranking.
A two-star prospect out of Brownsville, TX, ranked outside the top 1,500 recruits nationally in the Class of 2007 after a standout youth BMX World Champion career. After redshirting as a freshman and seeing limited action across 11 games as a sophomore, Carder hit the starting lineup in 2009, earning Second Team All-Mountain West in his first year as as starter as the Frogs would complete an undefeated regular season with a MWC Title and BCS Bowl bid. His 2009 featured a standout performance with ESPN College GameDay on campus for the showdown with the Utah Utes, contributing nine tackles and an interception returned for a touchdown. Pick-sixes became the norm for Carder as he would bring two more interceptions home for scores in his TCU career to be TCU’s all-time leader in interception return scores, a record he still owns.
Photo by Ron Jenkins/Fort Worth Star-Telegram/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
In 2010, Carder hit the national spotlight, earning First Team All-American honors and Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year with 60 tackles, 3.5 sacks, and an interception, as the Horned Frogs again led the nation in total offense. His heroics in Pasadena in the win over Wisconsin earned him Rose Bowl Defensive MVP. For his senior campaign, Carder would again be named an All-American while earning back-to-back MWC Defensive Player of the Year awards as TCU would win back-to-back conference Titles.
Following is TCU career, Carder would be a Fifth Round selection by the Buffalo Bills in the 2012 NFL Draft before spending six seasons with the Cleveland Browns, playing in 78 career NFL games, recording 53 total tackles.