Raiders’ Carter receives Barbuti Award

A season-ending injury stopped Aaron Carter from playing football, but his determination and commitment to his team earned him recognition in his sport even while on the sidelines.

At the annual football awards dinner at North Brunswick Township High School on Dec. 9, Carter was presented with the Raymond Barbuti Award, acknowledging courage and determination in the face of adversity.

The Barbuti Award is sponsored by Wilson Sporting Goods and is administered by the Metropolitan Chapter of the Eastern Association of Intercollegiate Football Officials (EAIFO). Carter was nominated for the award by North Brunswick High School Principal Robert Cancro, who is a college football official and a member of the EAIFO. Carter was one of nine Barbuti Award recipients named by the EAIFO Metro Chapter.

Carter, a junior, was seriously injured in the first game of the season, breaking his ankle and ending his chances to play. Two subsequent surgeries have prohibited him from playing basketball this year. Despite the injury, Carter attended practices and games last season, and maintained a positive attitude throughout the season.

The Barbuti Award is named for Ray Barbuti, an Olympic gold medal winner and college football official. Barbuti wanted to recognize young men who suffered injury in the course of participation in the sport and who displayed unusual fortitude, determination and a positive attitude toward recovery.

The award consists of an autographed Wilson football and a framed certificate from the EAIFO. Carter received a football autographed by the Rutgers University football team.