Member Biography

At Springfield High School in Springfield, Pennsylvania, William Carpenter earned nine varsity letters, captained three varsity teams and was deluged with scholarship offers. He decided to attend West Point, where he made history as Earl Blaik's different kind of end - "Lonely End." In this formation, 10 Army players formed the normal huddle, and Carpenter stood alone, 20 yards away. The quarterback gave hand signals to show Carpenter the play he had called. In 1958, Carpenter caught 22 passes for 453 yards and two touchdowns. As captain in 1959, Carpenter raised his numbers to 591 yards, 43 receptions and three touchdowns. He scored a fourth touchdown rushing and returned 12 kickoffs for 218 yards. A leader from the beginning, his military career took him to Vietnam, where his heroic action won him the Silver Star, Bronze Star, Army Commendation Medal, three Air Medals, two Purple Hearts and the Combat Infantry Badge. On June 8, 1966, Captain Carpenter and the 101st Airborne were ambushed by a superior number of Viet Cong. Carpenter courageously led his men out of the ambush and back to camp. The National Football Foundation gave Carpenter its Distinguished American Award in 1966 and elected him to the Hall of Fame in 1982.