Carlin Carpenter led the Bluffton football team for 24 seasons before retiring following the 2002 campaign. He holds the record for the most wins by a football coach in Bluffton history with 103 and was named the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference co-coach of the year in 2000. During the 2000 season he guided the Beavers to a 7-3 record, a national ranking and a share of the HCAC championship. 
Coach Carpenter has led his teams to two NAIA national playoffs in 1987 and 1988. He is already a part of the Hall of Fame as part of 1985 and 1988 football squads. At the time of his retirement his head coaching tenure was the longest among Ohio’s collegiate head football coaches. The years of 1985-1990 Coach Carpenter saw a 44-13 record and the Beavers were nationally ranked each year. Success is seen in the 1987 and 1988 squads as they were able to enter the NAIA national playoffs both years.
Along with being Bluffton’s football coach Carlin was also the athletics director at Bluffton from 1980-2003. When he came to Bluffton in 1979 Carpenter also started his college teaching career with a position in the HPER department as an assistant professor.
Before his start at Bluffton Coach Carpenter was an assistant football coach at Marshall University, Ohio University and Defiance College. Earning his bachelors degree in psychology at Defiance College and his masters degree in HPER and special education at Ohio University guided him to a great teaching career.
Since leaving Bluffton in 2003 Coach Carpenter has kept busy as an adjunct professor in the HPER department. In his free time he enjoys fishing and spending time with his family.
Carlin and his wife Sharon reside in Bluffton and have two grown daughters, Kelly and Jill.
