Dallas Carter HS 1988 football documentary to air August 24 on ESPN
ESPN has set a late August premiere date for a documentary about one of the most infamous high school football teams in Texas history.
“What Carter Lost” will air at 8:30 p.m. CT on Aug. 24 and examines the 1988 Dallas Carter High School football team and it’s on the field success and off the field mess.
The 1988 team stormed its way to a state championship, knocking off powers like Odessa Permian and Converse Judson, only to be brought down by an armed robbery scandal which sent half a dozen players to prison. Carter got highlighted in the best-selling book “Friday Night Lights,” since it played Permian.
"In 'What Carter Lost,' I was honored to help bring the Carter saga to life in the words of the people who lived it, even as I struggled to make sense of everything that had happened," said director Adam Hootnick in a statement. "Nearly three decades on, there still aren't any simple answers, but I hope everyone who encounters these unforgettable people and events will walk away asking hard questions about what it means to be a teammate or a leader."
The squad was surrounded by drama and included legal battles over whether they'd used ineligible players.
In September 1989, a judge sentenced 12 Carter High students on armed robbery charges -- 11 got prison terms. Six were football players, including All-American Derric Evans and Gary Edwards, another highly recruited player.
The judge would note that in the six months after Carter won a state championship, they'd committed more armed robberies than Bonnie and Clyde - 21 holdups in all.
A 2015 feature film was also made about the 1988 Carter team.