The unbelievable story about Arizona RB coach Alonzo Carter and MC Hammer

Before beginning his football coaching career Arizona running backs coach Alonzo Carter was the choreographer and lead dancer for MC Hammer from 1988 through 1995. Carter joined MC Hammer after he and a group of friends answered an audition call at Cal State Hayward for backup dancers and rap artists.

Carter earned a multi-platinum record as a result of “Please Hammer Don’t Hurt Em” selling at least 10 million albums. Carter began his coaching career at legendary McClymonds High School in Oakland as an assistant from 1993 through 1998. McClymonds is the alma mater of NBA legend Bill Russell.

Carter was the head coach at McClymonds from 1999 through 2006. Carter's first college position was from 2010 through 2016 as the head coach at Contra Costa College, near Oakland. MC Hammer, who is also from Oakland, frequently referred to Oaktown in his music, with one song titled Oaktown.

Arizona head coach Brent Brennan played MC Hammer's "U Can't Touch This" at practice while both coached at San Jose State. Carter told ESPN in 2017 that Brennan put him on "front street" by playing U Can't Touch This and that dancing to it came naturally when he performed for the Spartans players.

""It just naturally came...(dancing to U Can't Touch This) It's a whole routine. We choreographed that routine over 25 years ago, and it's still strong. It's still prominent.""

- Arizona RB coach Alonzo Carter

Carter auditioned for MC Hammer in between his junior and senior season as a player at Hayward State which is now known as Cal State East Bay. MC Hammer hired Carter before breaking through as a major star. Carter told ESPN in the 2017 interview "way ahead of his time. You hadn't seen a guy who could rap and dance like that."

Carter formed a dance group that combined hip-hop dancing with stepping and choreographed a dance designed to impress MC Hammer during the audition. MC Hammer immediately asked the group "Y'all want to be in the video" per Carter. The group was later invited to go on tour with MC Hammer.

Carter missed his final season playing for Hayward State to tour with MC Hammer. Carter appeared on Arsenio Hall, Oprah Winfrey, American Movie Awards, Grammys, the MTV Video Music Awards. Among the stars Carter associated with were late rap artist Tupac Shakur.

Carter and Brennan got to know each other when the latter was recruiting in the East Bay area. Brennan encouraged Carter to return to Hayward and get his degree. Carter has been on every staff Brennan has head at a head coach. In many ways, everything came full circle for Carter versus Colorado.

The Atlanta Falcons adopted MC Hammer's song 2 Legit to 2 Quit when Deion Sanders was their star in the early 90s. MC Hammer and Sanders recorded the song Straight to My Feet together in the 1990s. Carter is probably the most well-connected coach on the 2024 Arizona staff.