BATON ROUGE – LSU Athletics Hall of Fame member Harry Carpenter established a reputation as one of the elite sprinters and hurdlers in the Southeastern Conference during his collegiate career in the 1950s while training under a Tiger great in former NCAA champion and head coach Al Moreau.
During a prolific career with the Tigers from 1954-57, Carpenter racked up six SEC event championships. Not only did he capture back-to-back titles in the 220-yard dash and 220-yard hurdles in 1956 and 1957, but he also led LSU to victories in the 440-yard relay in 1956 and mile relay in 1957.
Carpenter’s performance during his senior season in 1957 helped lead LSU to a sweep of SEC Indoor and SEC Outdoor team championships for the first time in program history.
On the strength of his career achievements, Carpenter earned his induction into the LSU Athletics Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 1986 as one of the all-time greats to ever wear the LSU uniform.
Carpenter recently joined his fellow track alumni for the second-annual LSU Track & Field Team Awards and Alumni Recognition Banquet held April 22 at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center to headline a week of celebration of the nation’s premier program leading up to this year’s LSU Alumni Gold meet.
In an exclusive interview with LSUsports.net during the event, Carpenter shared his fondest memories for his time at LSU and what it was like to be coached by Moreau during his career. After college, he went on to serve in the U.S. Navy before a 24-year career for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He and his wife, Barbara, are now enjoying their retirement together in Pascagoula, Miss.