Carlos Alvarez (American football)
Encyclopedia
Carlos Alvarez Vasquez Rodriguez Ubieta (born April 1, 1950) is a former American college football
player who was an All-American wide receiver
for the University of Florida
from 1969 to 1971.
in 1950, the youngest of Licinio and Isola Alvarez's three sons. Alvarez's father Licinio had been a successful lawyer
in Cuba, but his parents fled to the United States to escape Fidel Castro
's communist revolution in 1960, when Alvarez was a 10-year-old boy. He was raised in Miami, Florida
and attended North Miami Senior High School in North Miami
, where he was an all-county high school football
player for the North Miami Pioneers. Alvarez was the Pioneers' star halfback
who could run and catch, and was touted by the local newspapers as the best back in Dade County—on offense and defense. On at least two occasions, he played all forty-eight minutes of a high school game, playing on both offense and defense. He was highly recruited by multiple universities, including the hometown University of Miami
and the University of Florida, but he ultimately chose Florida where his older brothers Arturo and Cesar were already enrolled. Alvarez graduated from North Miami High School in 1968.
, Alvarez received an athletic scholarship
to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida
, and played for coach Ray Graves
and coach Doug Dickey
's Florida Gators football
teams from 1969 to 1971. During Graves' final season as Florida's head coach
in 1969, Alvarez was one of several talented second-year Gators known as the "Super Sophs" who led the team to its then all-time best record of 9–1–1. At the close of his sophomore
season, he was honored as a first-team All-Southeastern Conference
(SEC) selection and a consensus first-team All-American, and he caught a nine-yard touchdown
pass to provide the Gators' margin of victory in their 14–13 upset of the Tennessee Volunteers
in the 1969 Gator Bowl
. Alvarez was known for his speed on the football field, and the media dubbed him the "Cuban Comet." He was also the Gators' leading receiver in 1970 and 1971, marking three straight seasons as the Gators' top offensive weapon. Alvarez was also a first-team Academic All-America
n in 1969 and a second-team Academic All-American in 1970 and 1971, and was chosen for the Academic All-American Hall of Fame in 1991.
s in a single game (15) and in a single season (88), although he last played for the Gators in 1971—now four decades ago. During his three-year college varsity
career, Alvarez set numerous Gators and SEC pass receiving records, including career, season and game pass receptions and yardage records. His career record of 176 receptions was broken by Andre Caldwell
in 2007
. Alvarez remains the Gators' all-time career leader in receiving yards (2,563), ranks second for receiving yards in a single season (1,329 yards in 1969), and ranks second on the receiving yards charts in a single game (237 against Miami in 1969). His 1,329 yards in a single season still ranks third in the SEC record books. He ranks ninth among all-time Gators receivers in career touchdown receptions (26), seventh in touchdown receptions in a single season (18), and is tied for third for most touchdown receptions in a single game (3). His 133 yards per-game average in 1969 is still the all-time single-season best among Gators, and has only been exceeded once in the SEC.
Alvarez ranks second among Gators receivers with thirteen games for 100 yards or more receiving, one behind career leader Jabar Gaffney
. He ranks first among Gators for most 100-yard receiving games in a season, also tied with Gaffney and Travis McGriff
, all with eight. Alvarez achieved this in 1969 when six of those 100-yard games were achieved consecutively—also a team record he shares with two other Gators.
in political science
, with honors, in 1972. The Dallas Cowboys
selected him in the fifteenth round (390th overall pick) of the 1972 NFL Draft
, but he did not play or sign a contract because of chronic knee injuries. He received an NCAA Post-Graduate Scholarship Award to attend the Duke University School of Law
in Durham, North Carolina
, and earned his juris doctor
(J.D.) degree summa cum laude in 1975. After graduation, he worked as a law professor at the Southern Methodist University
School of Law
in Dallas, Texas
, where he was named the Outstanding Law Professor in 1980.
Following in the family legal tradition of his father and older brothers, Alvarez became a practicing attorney. He is a member of the The Florida Bar
, and has been admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, and the U.S. Court of Claims. He has served on the Florida Elections Commission and Second Judicial Circuit Nominating Commission, and was awarded the Jose Marti Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Cuban Community from the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare. Alvarez is an environmental
and land use
attorney based in Tallahassee, Florida
, but his current practice emphasizes mediation, arbitration and alternative dispute resolution.
Alvarez was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great" in 1986, and elected to the College Football Hall of Fame
in 2011.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player who was an All-American wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
for the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
from 1969 to 1971.
Early life
Alvarez was born in CubaCuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
in 1950, the youngest of Licinio and Isola Alvarez's three sons. Alvarez's father Licinio had been a successful lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
in Cuba, but his parents fled to the United States to escape Fidel Castro
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...
's communist revolution in 1960, when Alvarez was a 10-year-old boy. He was raised in Miami, Florida
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
and attended North Miami Senior High School in North Miami
North Miami, Florida
North Miami is a suburban city located in northeast Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States, about north of Miami. The city lies on Biscayne Bay and hosts the Biscayne Bay Campus of Florida International University, and the North Miami campus of Johnson & Wales University...
, where he was an all-county high school football
High school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
player for the North Miami Pioneers. Alvarez was the Pioneers' star halfback
Halfback (American football)
A halfback, sometimes referred to as a tailback, is an offensive position in American football, which lines up in the backfield and generally is responsible for carrying the ball on run plays. Historically, from the 1870s through the 1950s, the halfback position was both an offensive and defensive...
who could run and catch, and was touted by the local newspapers as the best back in Dade County—on offense and defense. On at least two occasions, he played all forty-eight minutes of a high school game, playing on both offense and defense. He was highly recruited by multiple universities, including the hometown University of Miami
University of Miami
The University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12...
and the University of Florida, but he ultimately chose Florida where his older brothers Arturo and Cesar were already enrolled. Alvarez graduated from North Miami High School in 1968.
College career
After graduating from high schoolHigh school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
, Alvarez received an athletic scholarship
Athletic scholarship
An athletic scholarship is a form of scholarship to attend a college or university awarded to an individual based predominantly on his or her ability to play in a sport...
to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Alachua County, Florida, United States as well as the principal city of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The preliminary 2010 Census population count for Gainesville is 124,354. Gainesville is home to the sixth...
, and played for coach Ray Graves
Ray Graves
Samuel Ray Graves is a former American college and professional football player and former college football coach. He is a native of Tennessee and an alumnus of the University of Tennessee, where he played college football...
and coach Doug Dickey
Doug Dickey
Douglas Adair "Doug" Dickey is a former American college football player and coach and college athletics administrator. Dickey is a South Dakota native who was raised in Florida and graduated from the University of Florida, where he played college football...
's Florida Gators football
Florida Gators football
The Florida Gators football team represents the University of Florida in the sport of American football. The Florida Gators compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletics Association and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference...
teams from 1969 to 1971. During Graves' final season as Florida's head coach
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
in 1969, Alvarez was one of several talented second-year Gators known as the "Super Sophs" who led the team to its then all-time best record of 9–1–1. At the close of his sophomore
Sophomore
Sophomore is a term used in the United States to describe a student in the second year of study at high school or university.The word is also used as a synonym for "second", for the second album or EP released by a musician or group, the second movie of a director, or the second season of a...
season, he was honored as a first-team All-Southeastern Conference
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
(SEC) selection and a consensus first-team All-American, and he caught a nine-yard touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
pass to provide the Gators' margin of victory in their 14–13 upset of the Tennessee Volunteers
Tennessee Volunteers football
The Tennessee Volunteers football team are an American college football team at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville . The NCAA Division I team is also a member of the Southeastern Conference ....
in the 1969 Gator Bowl
Gator Bowl
The Gator Bowl is an annual college football bowl game played at EverBank Field in Jacksonville, Florida. Held continuously since 1946, it is the sixth oldest college bowl, as well as the first one ever televised nationally...
. Alvarez was known for his speed on the football field, and the media dubbed him the "Cuban Comet." He was also the Gators' leading receiver in 1970 and 1971, marking three straight seasons as the Gators' top offensive weapon. Alvarez was also a first-team Academic All-America
Academic All-America
Academic All-America program is a student-athlete recognition program...
n in 1969 and a second-team Academic All-American in 1970 and 1971, and was chosen for the Academic All-American Hall of Fame in 1991.
Florida Gators receiving records
Alvarez is still the Gators' record holder for pass receptionReception (American football)
In American football, a reception is part of a play in which a forward pass from behind the line of scrimmage is received by a player in bounds, who, after the catch, proceeds to either score a touchdown or be downed. Yards gained from the receiving play are credited to the player as receiving...
s in a single game (15) and in a single season (88), although he last played for the Gators in 1971—now four decades ago. During his three-year college varsity
Varsity team
In the United States and Canada, varsity sports teams are the principal athletic teams representing a college, university, high school or other secondary school. Such teams compete against the principal athletic teams at other colleges/universities, or in the case of secondary schools, against...
career, Alvarez set numerous Gators and SEC pass receiving records, including career, season and game pass receptions and yardage records. His career record of 176 receptions was broken by Andre Caldwell
Andre Caldwell
Andre Jerome "Bubba" Caldwell is an American professional football player who is a wide receiver in the National Football League . Caldwell played college football for the University of Florida, and currently plays for the Cincinnati Bengals of the NFL.-Early years:Caldwell was born in Tampa,...
in 2007
2007 Florida Gators football team
The 2007 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida in the sport of American football during the 2007 college football season...
. Alvarez remains the Gators' all-time career leader in receiving yards (2,563), ranks second for receiving yards in a single season (1,329 yards in 1969), and ranks second on the receiving yards charts in a single game (237 against Miami in 1969). His 1,329 yards in a single season still ranks third in the SEC record books. He ranks ninth among all-time Gators receivers in career touchdown receptions (26), seventh in touchdown receptions in a single season (18), and is tied for third for most touchdown receptions in a single game (3). His 133 yards per-game average in 1969 is still the all-time single-season best among Gators, and has only been exceeded once in the SEC.
Alvarez ranks second among Gators receivers with thirteen games for 100 yards or more receiving, one behind career leader Jabar Gaffney
Jabar Gaffney
Derrick Jabar Gaffney is an American football wide receiver for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Houston Texans in the second round of the 2002 NFL Draft...
. He ranks first among Gators for most 100-yard receiving games in a season, also tied with Gaffney and Travis McGriff
Travis McGriff
William Travis McGriff is a former American college and professional football player who was a wide receiver in two different professional football leagues...
, all with eight. Alvarez achieved this in 1969 when six of those 100-yard games were achieved consecutively—also a team record he shares with two other Gators.
Life after football
Alvarez graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor's degreeBachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
, with honors, in 1972. The Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
selected him in the fifteenth round (390th overall pick) of the 1972 NFL Draft
1972 NFL Draft
The 1972 National Football League Draft was held on February 1–2, 1972.-Player selections:-Round one:-Round two:-Round three:-Round four:-Round five:-Round six:-Round seven:-Round eight:-Round nine:-Round ten:...
, but he did not play or sign a contract because of chronic knee injuries. He received an NCAA Post-Graduate Scholarship Award to attend the Duke University School of Law
Duke University School of Law
The Duke University School of Law is the law school and a constituent academic unit of Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, United States. One of Duke's 10 schools and colleges, the School of Law began as the Trinity College School of Law in 1868. In 1924, following the renaming of Trinity...
in Durham, North Carolina
Durham, North Carolina
Durham is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the county seat of Durham County and also extends into Wake County. It is the fifth-largest city in the state, and the 85th-largest in the United States by population, with 228,330 residents as of the 2010 United States census...
, and earned his juris doctor
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
(J.D.) degree summa cum laude in 1975. After graduation, he worked as a law professor at the Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University is a private university in Dallas, Texas, United States. Founded in 1911 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, SMU operates campuses in Dallas, Plano, and Taos, New Mexico. SMU is owned by the South Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church...
School of Law
Dedman School of Law
The Southern Methodist University School of Law, commonly referred to as SMU Law School or Dedman School of Law is a prominent professional graduate law school located in Dallas, Texas. Founded in February 1925, the school remains the only law school in Dallas...
in Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
, where he was named the Outstanding Law Professor in 1980.
Following in the family legal tradition of his father and older brothers, Alvarez became a practicing attorney. He is a member of the The Florida Bar
The Florida Bar
The Florida Bar is the integrated bar association for the state of Florida. It is the third largest such bar association in the United States. Its duties include the regulation and discipline of attorneys....
, and has been admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, and the U.S. Court of Claims. He has served on the Florida Elections Commission and Second Judicial Circuit Nominating Commission, and was awarded the Jose Marti Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Cuban Community from the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare. Alvarez is an environmental
Environmental law
Environmental law is a complex and interlocking body of treaties, conventions, statutes, regulations, and common law that operates to regulate the interaction of humanity and the natural environment, toward the purpose of reducing the impacts of human activity...
and land use
Land use
Land use is the human use of land. Land use involves the management and modification of natural environment or wilderness into built environment such as fields, pastures, and settlements. It has also been defined as "the arrangements, activities and inputs people undertake in a certain land cover...
attorney based in Tallahassee, Florida
Tallahassee, Florida
Tallahassee is the capital of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County, and is the 128th largest city in the United States. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2010, the population recorded by...
, but his current practice emphasizes mediation, arbitration and alternative dispute resolution.
Alvarez was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great" in 1986, and elected to the College Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...
in 2011.
See also
- 1969 College Football All-America Team1969 College Football All-America TeamThe 1969 College Football All-America team is composed of various organizations that choose College All-America teams that season. The organizations that chose the teams were Associated Press, United Press International, Newspaper Enterprise Association, Central Press Association, Football Writers...
- Florida GatorsFlorida GatorsThe Florida Gators are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Florida located in Gainesville, Florida. The "Lady Gators" is an alternative nickname sometimes used by the Gators women's teams...
- Florida Gators football, 1960–1969
- Florida Gators football, 1970–1979
- List of College Football Hall of Fame inductees (players, A–K)
- List of College Football Hall of Fame inductees (players, L–Z)
- List of Duke University alumni
- List of University of Florida alumni
External links
- Carlos Alvarez – Career statistics from Sports Reference / College Football.