One of the best-known baseball players of all time, Gary Carter, launched his career in the early 1970s. Nicknamed “The Kid,” Gary astonished his teammates and fans alike with his infectious enthusiasm and warm personality.
During his two-decade-long career, Gary won three Gold Glove Awards, five Silver Slugger Awards, and one Roberto Clemente Award. What we’re curious about is how he met his wife, Sandy.
Gary Carter and Sandy were high school sweethearts.
A natural-born athlete, Gary played baseball, basketball, and football during his studies at the Sunny Hills High School in Fullerton, Calif. As an anecdote has it, he bagged more than 100 scholarship offers, thanks to his unmatched talents.
Gary focused on pursuing a career in sports from the very beginning, and meeting Sandy posed a welcome distraction. As she told Montreal Gazette, she was immediately attracted to him because of his personality. His interest in athletics also helped.
“He was so cute, and he had personality. Real outgoing and talkative,” Sandy explained. “It probably didn’t hurt that he was a big man on campus. He had never had a girlfriend before, so I was his first. Before me, he was all sports, so I guess I captured his attention.”
Gary and Sandy headed to the local Denny’s for some food before catching a movie, Woodstock, for their first date. They stayed together for the next four decades until Gary’s untimely passing in 2012.
Gary and Sandy married on Feb. 8, 1975. For their honeymoon, they drove from California to Daytona Beach, Fla., which, at the time, served as the Montreal Expos training camp. Gary and Sandy likely moved to Montreal a few years before.
It was there that Gary skyrocketed to fame as an exceptional sportsman and role model. His ability to keep things level appealed to many fans. Some started using the nickname “Camera Carter” to mock his insistence on maintaining a squeaky clean public image.
“I am certainly happy that I don’t have to run for election against Gary Carter,” Pierre Trudeau, the former prime minister of Canada, once quipped.
Gary and Sandy had three kids together. Their daughters Christy and Kimmy were born in 1978 and 1980, respectively. Their only son, D.J., was born in 1984. The family left Montreal circa 1985 when Gary landed a spot at the New York Mets.