University of Pennsylvania, Carr was coached by 1904 Olympian Lawson Robertson who called him "the fastest Carr in America." In college, he never lost the 400-meter sprint. He also anchored the 1,600-meter relay team—which also never lost a competition during his college years. His favorite events became the long jump, the 440-meter, and the 800-meter. He was the 1931 Amateur Athletic Union Indoor national champion in the 300-yards event. At the 1932 Intercollegiate Championships (IC4A) championships in Berkeley California, Carr beat world-record holder Ben Eastman in the 440-yard dash, winning the IC4A 440-yard title for 1932. His time was 47.0 seconds; Eastman's record was 46.4 seconds. Carr was ranked number one in the world at the 400-meters.at the end of the 1932 season. Several weeks later in Palo Alto, California, Carr again outran Eastman at the 1932 USA Outdoor Championships and 1932 United States Olympic trials (track and field). In addition to making the United States Olympic team, Carr was also a favorite for the 400-meter gold medal at the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California. On August 4, 1932 in Los Angeles Olympics, Carr placed first in his semi-final 400-meter heat with a time of 47.2 seconds, breaking Eric Liddell’s world record time of 47.6 seconds from the 1924 Summer Olympics. However, Eastman matched Liddell’s record in his semi-final heat, setting up a final Olympic race that The New York Times called the “400-meter race of the century." In the final, Eastman led during most of the race, but Carr emerged victorious in the last 100-meters with a time of 46.2 seconds. He had not only won a gold medal, but he also had set a world record. A few days later, Carr won another gold medal as the anchor of America's 4 × 400-meter relay team. Although not scheduled to complete, he substituted for Arnold Adams who had to withdraw due to an injury. They set a new world record of 3:08.2. Back at college in 1933, Carr had a "lackluster" performance in the spring season. On January 25, 1933, he announced that he would retire from track after the 1993 season. He said, "I expect to be a member of the United States track and field team that will tour Europe next summer. When the team returns, my uniform and spiked shoes will be put away for good." He planned on retiring so that he could