Boyd Carter played his college football at Santa Monica Junior College where his quarterback was another future CFLer, Ronnie Knox.  While at Santa Monica, Carter was named to the junior All-America team, and signed with the Argonauts in 1957. Signed as an import, he discovered that having had Canadian parents, he was eligible to become a Canadian citizen, and did so after making the team, and thereby allowing the Argos to sign another import. *

Carter had an impact immediately as a receiver, kick returner and defensive back. Despite scoring the teams first touchdown of the year (on a pass from Tom Dublinski), he spent most of the year on defense. Carter finished with 9 catches in his rookie season, and his 530 yards on kickoff returns was second best in the East, behind only hall of famer Hal Patterson. Carter also recorded 5 interceptions that rookie season.

By 1958 Carter was taking a regular turn on offense, where his 32 catches was eighth best in the East. Carter added 6 more interceptions as a defensive back that second season. It was on a defensive hit that Carter was involved in well remembered incident that caused Ottawa running back Dave Thelan to swallow his tongue and almost suffocate on the field in a September game.

In an August 1959 the Argos played an exhibition game against the NFL Cardinals and they lost Norm Stoneburgh(broken leg) and Carter (broken hand) to injuries. Despite the injury, Carter bounced back to have a very similar season offensively as 1958.  Carter had 31 catches, moving up one notch to finish seventh in the East - and third best in the East was only five catches more at 36.

In August 1960 he suffered a major ankle injury in an exhibition game against the Pittsbugh Steelers. Carter missed three games, but still had 23 catches.

 In 1961, Carter saw little action on offence with only one catch and on defence he switched to corner linebacker.  Carter was badly injured when he broke five ribs as a result of a block on a kickoff return  against the Tiger Cats. .

In 1962, Carter ran into a curfew violation problem late in training camp, and after 5 games he was shipped to the Alouettes who had been trying to acquire him since 1960. He played 7 games with the Larks that year and in 1963 Carter tried to catch on with the Calgary Stampeders but was released in August, prior to the start of the season.

Carter, along with Dave Mann still holds the CFL record for the longest punt return. On August 22, 1958, Carter fielded a punt and returned it 15 yards before lateralling it to Dave Mann who took t another 116 yards for a touchdown for a total of 131 yards.

Boyd Carter passed away from cancer on August 14, 2007.

* Carter's birthplace is given as Winnipeg in his bio found in the 1962 Crown Life publication on the CFL, but the 2000 Toronto Media Guide says Carter was born in the United States and his parents were Canadian making him a non-import.

[Bio by Wes Cross with additions]

Argonaut Halfback Boyd Carter Now Canadian Citizen - August 31, 1957

CFL Individual Punt Return Records\

Boyd Carter in the 2000 Toronto Media Guide

Argos Mourn the Loss of Boyd Carter

Games played stats were first official kept in the East in 1960, but the Toronto Media Guides list Carter as playing 63 regualr season games and 5 playoff games for the Argonauts from 1957 to 1962.