The name first became a buzzword on the youth league fields around Brainerd, Dalewood and Harrison, with stories of the pint-sized phenom’s dynamic athletic ability soon extending as far away as Dalton.
Given to him by his mother, who referred to her toddler as her “little Boo,” the nickname was catchy.
The youngster known by the nickname was impossible to catch.
Effortlessly shifting — and excelling — from one sport to the next as the seasons changed, by the time Boo Carter was 9, he was a known commodity in the Chattanooga-area sports community as coaches, parents and other children his age recognized the only thing more unique than the name was the talent that separated him from his peers.
“Boo has been the guy people talked about as the next great athlete in Chattanooga for a long time, but he was also the most driven kid I ever worked with,” said Efrin Stewart, who has coached youth league football in Chattanooga for 43 years, mostly with the Brainerd Bills.