Hall of Fame San Jose City College basketball coach Percy Carr dies at age 82

Percy Carr receives a framed jersey commemorating his 900th career win as San Jose City College’s head coach (Photo courtesy of San Jose City College)

Percy Carr, the long-time men’s basketball coach at San Jose City College who won the most games in California community college history, has died. He was 82.

“He’s all the things you would want in a coach,” said former player and former assistant coach James Giacomazzi, the men’s basketball head coach at Las Positas College in Livermore.

Over 45 years with the program from 1975 to 2019, Carr amassed 900 career wins — all with San Jose City College — leading the Jaguars to eight state tournaments, winning 12 conference championships and coaching 17 first-team all-state players. Carr is also considered the winningest Black men’s basketball coach in college basketball history, and in March 1998, he was inducted into the California Community College Basketball Coaches Association’s Hall of Fame.

“I had the unique privilege to play for, and coach against Coach Carr,” San Jose City men’s basketball coach Devin Aye said in a statement. “He is arguably the most successful and respected basketball coach in history. His teams were well-coached, organized and were a powerhouse for decades. He took special pride in helping young men who needed mentoring and an opportunity, when the odds were stacked against them. He literally changed lives and altered the course for so many.

“His ability to advocate for his student-athletes and coaches was unmatched. When Coach Carr spoke, people listened. Every day I am reminded of the lasting imprints Coach Carr made here at SJCC. It’s my duty to keep his legacy alive, and make him proud of what he built for Jags  athletics, and the house he built, Coach Carr Gymnasium.”

A true old-school coach, Carr was a disciplinarian intent on getting the most out of his players. During preseasons, Carr hosted grueling boot camps where his players wore bright gold short shorts and T-shirts that read, ‘Carr’s Boot Camp.’ There were occasions where Carr had his team workout three times in one day. To his players, those expectations, while demanding, derived from a place of love.

“His legacy is one of love, humor, compassion and ultimately helping young men and their families be successful through the game of basketball,” said Dallas Jensen, a former player and assistant coach under Carr who now serves as the head coach at College of the Sequoias. “I’ve never been around someone that can use the game to teach life lessons and life skills like Coach Carr.”

Added Giacomazzi, who had Carr serve as a groomsman in his wedding: “I thought I got yelled at more than any other player in the history of San Jose City College. He was on me like white on rice. I’m like, ‘Dude, I’m working hard.’ But he said, ‘You’re working hard, but you have to work hard, hard.’ That was his phrase.”

For all the wins, Carr took pride in preparing his players for life after San Jose City College. A former assistant coach at Stanford, Carr ensured his players’ academics were in check by developing the C.A.R.R. (Creative Activity Retention Response) Program, designed to make sure  his players met an academic standard.

Just like his teams, the C.A.R.R. Program was a rousing success. Carr required his players study together, which ensured they always had access to tutors. These practices are now standard, but Giacomazzi recalled them being different for the time. Carr would speak to other community colleges across the state about his methodology.

Carr constantly sought to innovate, too. He and his staff routinely toured four-year institutions as well, applying their findings. By giving San Jose City players the same expectations of players a tschools like Indiana or Oklahoma, his players were well-prepared if they made the jump to big-name schools.

For all Carr accomplished, he ultimately fell short of winning a state championship. Giacomazzi knew Carr badly wanted a title, but Carr’s perspective on the grander picture never wavered.

“He did say that every time his kids went on, it equated to a state championship. If that’s the case, he’s won over 900 state championships,” Giacomazzi said. “A lot of us didn’t come from the best backgrounds or the best neighborhoods or had the best academics or were the most talented. Whatever it was, he would find a way to mesh these groups of people.”

“You still see the impact to this day that will carry through generations,” Jensen said. “He was one of a kind, and we’ll miss him dearly and love the heck out of him.”