A longtime football coach in Western North Carolina and a fixture in the coaching association circles has called it a career.

Alexander Central High School leader Butch Carter is retiring, the school announced on Wednesday.

He spent the previous nine seasons leading the Taylorsville school, coaching them to an overall record of 57-41. The Cougars finished 32-21 in conference play under Carter. Under the experienced coach, Alexander Central reached the N.C. High School Athletic Association playoffs in seven of his nine seasons.

Carter’s career head coaching record finished at 161-118. His other 15 years as a head coach were spent at South Caldwell High School from 2001-2015.

The coach became a central figure among the NC Football Coaches Association and the NC Coaches Association. He served as NC Coaches Association (NCCA) East/West All-Star Game Assistant Coach in 2013, the NCCA East/West All-Star Game Head Coach in 2023, and a Shrine Bowl of the Carolina’s Assistant Coach in 2024. He was the NCCA Vice President in 2023, the NCCA President in 2024, and a member of the NC Football Coaches Association Board of Directors (2020-2024).

In a message sent out to the Alexander Central community, Carter said “I would like to thank the community and fans for their support and acceptance of me as I feel like I am “family” and have been here my entire life. I wish Alexander Central the best moving forward and hope to continue to be around as a friend of the program and school.”

Alexander Central is coming off of 5-6 overall finish and 3-2 conference finish in 2024.

The Cougars have an average daily membership of 1,407 students this school year and will become a 6A program after the NCHSAA realigns into eight classifications. In the initial conference draft, Alexander was slotted to be in a 6A/7A conference with 7A McDowell and fellow 6As Freedom, South Caldwell, St. Stephens, and Watauga. The conferences are subject to change after feedback is received.

Here is the entire release from Alexander Central:

After spending 30+ years in teaching/coaching including the last nine years as Alexander Central High School Head Football Coach, Butch Carter has announced his retirement.

In his time as Head Football Coach at Alexander Central, Carter amassed an overall record of 57-41 with a record of 32-21 in conference play and led the Cougars to the NCHSAA playoffs in seven of his nine seasons while also capturing one conference championship (2017). The 57 victories at Alexander Central make him the second winningest Head Football Coach in the history of the school, only behind Glenn Wilson who won 130 games during his tenure.

Carter holds a career coaching record of 161-118 in his 24 years that he served as a Head Coach. During his time as a Head Coach, Carter was selected to serve in the following roles: NC Coaches Association (NCCA) East/West All-Star Game Assistant Coach (2013), NCCA East/West All-Star Game Head Coach (2023), Shrine Bowl of the Carolina’s Assistant Coach (2024), NCCA Vice President (2023), NCCA President (2024), and NC Football Coaches Association Board of Directors (2020-2024).

Sharing his comments on retirement, Carter commented “I am blessed to have been able to spend the last nine years of my career at Alexander Central doing what I love and that is teaching and coaching kids. Over the past 30 years, I have been able to teach and influence the lives of young kids and I have thoroughly enjoyed that.”

“I have so many people to thank in my teaching/coaching career and it is impossible to thank them all. I really want to thank my wife, Rebecca, and my family for always supporting me. I also want to thank the Alexander County School System for entrusting me in this position for the last nine years. I have so much appreciation for all the players and coaches that I have crossed paths with during my tenure and I am so grateful for them.”

Carter closed his thoughts by saying “I would like to thank the community and fans for their support and acceptance of me as I feel like I am “family” and have been here my entire life. I wish Alexander Central the best moving forward and hope to continue to be around as a friend of the program and school.”

“The ACHS Athletic Department wishes to extend a public thank you to Coach Butch Carter for his many years of dedication to our school and the outstanding leadership to our young men in the football program,” Alexander Central High School Athletic Director Nathan Robinson stated.

Robinson continued by commenting “Over his career, Coach Carter impacted so many lives in this area and was always well prepared in everything he did. He is well respected and viewed as a great leader by so many people. We wish him the best and hope that he enjoys the time he will now be able to spend time with family after devoting so much of himself to the game of football.”

Alexander Central Principal Jacob Lail expressed his gratitude by saying “I would like to thank Coach Carter for nine years of dedicated leadership to our football program. His commitment and impact have been invaluable, and we wish him all the best in his well-earned retirement.”

Lail concluded his statement by saying that a search for a new Head Coach will begin immediately and the job will be posted on January 9th, anybody interested in the position can apply online through the Alexander County Schools job board or by emailing their resume to him at [email protected].