Arizona football figures: How former Wildcats RB Ontiwaun Carter went from playmaker to pastor

Editor’s note: Until Arizona resumes football activities later this fall, the Star will interview the participants in some of the Wildcats’ most memorable games.

Ontiwaun Carter wanted to write his own narrative.

Carter, the former standout running back for the Arizona Wildcats, grew up in Pacoima, California. For far too many in his neighborhood, gangs and drugs were all they knew.

“It became my normal, because that’s all I saw,” Carter said. “My focal point was definitely to get up out of that neighborhood, do something positive with my life and not become a statistic.”

He saw football as his only way out. And for a time, it served that purpose.

But football is fleeting, especially for running backs. After a dynamic career at the UA — where he rushed for 3,501 yards, third most in school history — Carter played professionally for the Rhein Fire in Europe.

“It still didn’t fill my void,” Carter said. “When I got back to the States, that’s when I was introduced to Christ.”

Carter set off on a path that eventually would lead him to opening his own church. He is now Pastor Ontiwaun Carter, founder of the International Restorer of the Breach Ministries in his adopted hometown of Las Vegas.

“I named it Restorer of the Breach because I grew up in brokenness,” Carter, 47, said. “I knew how hard it was to try to make yourself whole by taking bits and pieces of everybody else to come up with what you think is a man. I never had a mom and a dad in the home at the same time. It was always my mom; my dad was in and out of jail. So I had a passion for wanting to mend brokenness.”

The Star caught up with Carter to talk about what he’s done with his life and his football glory days — in particular a breakout performance in the Pac-10 opener for the 1993 Wildcats. Carter rushed for a career-best 165 yards and a touchdown in Arizona’s 33-0 victory at Oregon State. It was Arizona’s most impressive performance to date that year and propelled them to a 10-2 season.

Carter discussed his climb up the depth chart, the “Desert Swarm” defense, playing for Dick Tomey, the satisfaction in helping others and more. The conversation has been lightly edited for context and clarity.

What do you recall about that September afternoon in Corvallis?

A: “Just wanting to make sure that I was able to really solidify myself as a running back amongst other great running backs. I knew that I had to put something out there that would separate me. I had failed to do that in my freshman and sophomore years. So my goal was, how can I do something that will allow me to stand out?

“That was my whole mindset through my training, prior to that game, summer workouts. It was like, ‘I have to separate myself from the individuals that are around me.’ Not saying that I didn’t like them; they were great. But I had to find a way to push forth my talent. … That was my mentality.”

Did having to share carries early in your college career provide a lesson in patience?

A: “Yessir. Also adjusting to the fact that you’re not ‘The Man.’ You’re coming up as a Pop Warner kid, it’s ‘you, you, you.’ … That was the hardest thing for me to adjust to.

“But it made me a better person. It literally did. It made me grow up. It made me get to a point to where it really doesn’t matter how many plays you have. The plays you get in, give 1,000%. Whatever happens in that time you’re in, you’ll showcase something. I had to train my mind that way.”

How good was the Desert Swarm?

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A: “You had individuals on there that were very hungry. All of them were trying to prove a point that we matter in the Pac-10, because it was always UCLA, USC. So our defense walked around with a chip on their shoulder, and they exuded that chip when they played. When you played against that defense, you realized that that defense is the truth.

“It was very rare that I was able to play against that defense, except when we were in training camp, in scrimmages. You have to understand the intensity in that. The defense is trying to prove a point; the offense is trying to prove a point, especially going into my junior year. Every yard that I gained, I had to earn it. And every tackle that they (made), they had to earn it.”

What was the factor that made the 1993 team so special?

A: “I think it was because we were underdogs. My freshman year, the whole team consisted of freshmen and sophomores. We were getting blown out. We had some good games, but we were losing a lot. We were all young. (The 1991 Wildcats finished 4-7.)

“When they put Miami on our schedule, we were able to really test and see how (good) we were. Miami blew us out my freshman year. My sophomore year, it was different (an 8-7 loss on the road to the Hurricanes, who were ranked No. 1 in the nation).

“So we knew going into that junior year it was gonna be special. It was like, ‘This year we gotta break out.’ And we did.”

What was it like to play for Coach Tomey?

A: “He understood how each leader expresses himself. You have some who are very verbal. You have leaders who are very energetic, charismatic. And then you have leaders who are just very quiet, who did their performance on the field.

“So you’re not gonna have them giving long speeches or bringing the team in. That’s just how they were.

“He didn’t say, ‘We have to act like this. This is what I’m looking for.’ He allowed us to be our own leaders in our own way, as long as we got the job done.

“I was very introverted. He didn’t make me be like, ‘You need to be more verbal.’ He just knew that Carter shows his leadership when he gets on the field; he expressed how much he wants to win by what he does on the field. He doesn’t do a lot of talking. Tomey gave us the opportunity to be flexible like that.”

What was your backup plan if football didn’t work out?

A: “I always wanted to work with juveniles, because of what I grew up in. I wanted to be a probation officer. I wanted to give back to the youths, because I understood it. That was my fallback.”

What inspired you to become a pastor instead?

A: “I always had a void in me. I thought that as long as I played football, that void would be managed. It did at a point in time; that was my drive, that was my focal point. But as you get older, you realize that football is not (your) whole life. And it got to a point where even though I was doing good at football, it didn’t fill my void.”

What’s the most fulfilling aspect of your vocation?

A: “Being able to help individuals find purpose and who they … as well as getting them to understand that even though you grew up (in) a broken home, dope-infested, whatever your circumstance may be, God can take something broken and make it whole.

“For me to be able to see a transformation, I think that’s the greatest experience ever for me. Whether it be prostitutes, whether it be liars, whether it be people who are just in the streets, the hustling, the manipulating, to see them change over a period of time, they don’t even recognize themselves. They’re so grateful. But it was only because God allowed me to be used as an instrument … to lead them to someone who was higher than me.”