Note: The following appears in the Florida State football gameday program.
On Dec. 9, 2023, former Tiger safety Robert Carswell stood alone in program history. On that day, he received his doctorate degree from Wingate and became the first former Tiger All-American to earn a doctorate degree after having played in the NFL.
That is quite a trifecta of accomplishments.
A look to the Clemson record book shows that Carswell still holds the Tiger career record for tackles by a defensive back (374). He accumulated those tackles from 1997-00, playing two years for Head Coach Tommy West and two years for Head Coach Tommy Bowden.
A third-team All-American by AP and Sporting News as a senior, Carswell helped the Tigers to a 9-3 record and No. 14 final ranking that year, the highest final ranking for the program in 10 years.
The native of Stone Mountain, Ga. was drafted by the San Diego Chargers. He played two years in the NFL before injuries cut his career short in 2002.
Carswell came back to finish his undergraduate degree in secondary education in 2003, then went into the pharmaceutical sales industry for 12 years.
But something was missing. He decided to put his Clemson degree to use and become a secondary educator.
“I started as a substitute teacher at Kelly Miller Elementary School in Columbia, S.C. in January 2015, and at the end of that academic year, they offered me a full-time teacher position.”
It did not take him long to have an impact on his 20 students, and the rest of the school took notice. In just his second year, he was named teacher-of-the-year at Kelly Miller Elementary School.
“When I was a kid, I learned the most when the lesson was fun. I basically follow the approach in the way I taught.”
An example of this approach used sports as a teaching tool.
“For a lesson on friction, I brought the kids outside, dropped some golf balls in the grass and had them putt. Then we went inside and did the same thing on the carpet. Any time you can take them outside and do something, they tend to pay attention and grasp the concept.”
Another time, Carswell set up a green screen in the classroom and had the students practice broadcasting. One of the students now aspires to be a meteorologist.
When Carswell had a science lesson, he wore a white lab coat.
“Sometimes I would blow something up in the class. They really enjoyed that, so they got excited when I put on the lab coat.”
When Carswell won the teacher-of-the-year award, it told him a lot about himself and his career goals, and it motivated him to earn advanced degrees with the goal of eventually becoming a principal.
“It meant a lot because it told me that I was more than just a football player. Getting that award meant more to me than being an All-American.”
In 2018, Carswell moved to Lake Carolina Elementary School in Columbia and continued his innovative teaching approach. At the same time, he pursued a master’s degree at Wingate, which he earned.
In 2019, he accepted an assistant principal position at Joseph Keels Elementary School in Columbia. Four years later, he earned his doctorate degree in educational leadership from Wingate.
A Google search indicates there are many former NFL players who have earned doctorate degrees. The list includes former Browns quarterback Frank Ryan and former Cardinals quarterback Charley Johnson. Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive end Alan Page became a Supreme Court judge in Minnesota after earning his J.D. But I am yet to find a former NFL player who earned a doctorate degree in the education field.
In addition to his time spent in the classroom, Carswell has authored two books. They are entitled, “Robert Uses His Imagination,” and “Robert Learns Responsibility.”
Clemson’s Call Me MiSTER program has put the books to use.
“I brought some of our elementary students to Clemson to show them the campus and meet the students in the Call Me MiSTER program. We brought them books to use in their classes.
“That program did not exist when I was a student at Clemson, but I certainly would have been in the program. I am proud to be involved today.”
Carswell’s dedication to helping youth has extended to the football field. He was a youth football coach in Columbia for 10 years, then retired to watch his own kids in their extracurricular activities.
This year, with his kids now older, Carswell has returned to the gridiron sidelines, where he is an assistant coach for a team of kids who are eight years old and under.
“I really enjoy teaching them the basics of football, the blocking, proper tackling and other aspects of the game.”
Carswell wants to pass on the learning experiences he had as a child.
“I still remember my teachers in kindergarten and early grades and remember the positive impact they had on me. I want to do that for these kids.”
