Eugene "Gene" Carpenter was born on April 2, 1935, in Big Springs, Texas, and married Mary Louise Hudson in 1964. He joined the men's basketball team at Texas Technological College and went on to hold the full season single game individual record in 1956 against New Mexico State University and become the 22nd Texas Tech Career Scorer. His team also won the consecutive Border Conference Championships from 1954-1956.
Carpenter's 1955-1956 team included Bobby Wilson, Earl Redwine, Jim Reed, Du-Wayne Blackshear, Logan Cummings, Sterling Gibson, Royce Elam, Harry Scaling, Ned Underwood, Trainer Bo Midkiff, Coach Gene Gibson, Manager Dennis Calvert and Coach Polk Robinson.
The 1956-1957, 15-member men's basketball team were the first to play in the Lubbock Municipal Coliseum. On February 20, 1999, Carpenter and ten of his teammates reunited for a celebration of the final basketball season to be held in this facility. Also in attendance were four Tech basketball coaches- Polk Robinson, Gene Gibson, Gerald Myers and James Dickey.
Carpenter and some of his teammates returned to Lubbock in 2004 to attend an event in honor of Coach Polk Robinson, whose last year of coaching in 1961 was highlighted by his team's winning of the SWC title. Shortly after attending this event, Carpenter passed away. His memorial services were held on April 22, 2004, in Lubbock.
From the guide to the Eugene Carpenter Scrapbooks, U 299. 1., 1953-2002, (Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library, Texas Tech University)
