Remembering Raheem Carter

Raheem Carter left the Groton-New London community too soon, succumbing to cancer complications at age 25 four years ago on April 13.

Carter, the quarterback on Fitch's powerhouse 1999 football state championship team, who went on to graduate from the University of Rhode Island and become a New London Police officer, made a powerful impression in his quarter century of living.

In many ways, his presence is alive and well in the local community. His identical twin brother Rashaad, is an assistant football coach with the Falcons. Rashaad took a major role in promoting and organizing the 2nd Raheem Carter Memorial Touch Football Tournament in 2009, helping it grow from five to 11 teams. Nearly 400 people congregated to Poquonnock Plains Park to either participate or pay tribute to Raheem's memory.

Carter was a young man of high moral character. A college graduate with personality, looks and charm, Carter could have pursued numerous more personally lucrative careers than his chosen field of law enforcement. He wanted to make an impact in his community.

"I can't tell you how many participants came up to me and said they were there to represent Raheem," Rashaad said. "The turnout showed what type of impact Raheem had on people's lives. It meant so much that the New London Police Department entered a team. Policemen are busy. For them to take a day off of work speaks volumes about what Raheem meant to them."

Raheem Carter's legacy is also alive in the form of the Raheem Ali Carter Memorial Scholarship Fund. Every June, seven Fitch High graduates are awarded $500 scholarships. Carter's Fitch uniform was No. 7.

"The community pledges money to help community students," Rashaad said. "Raheem was a big believer in community helping community."

The Carters were centerpieces, along with Mike Scott, John McCoy, Tristan White, Dante Ross and George Hall among others, on two of the area's best teams ever in 1998 and 1999. Coached by Mike Emery, Fitch bounced back from losing in the 1998 state playoffs, its only loss, to set a state single-season record of 695 points (57 a game) during a 12-0 season en route to the Class L championship in 1999.

Raheem was the ring leader of the double wing offense and learned many of his passing and running skills at a stretch of grass in the Poquonnock Bridge section of Groton near Midway Oval. That park was dedicated to the memory of Carter and is now called Raheem Ali Carter Memorial Park.

With the scholarship fund, touch football tournament, park and our memories to remind us, Raheem Carter will never leave Groton-New London.