Carroll College Athletics

Helena Cathedral High graduate Mike McCarthy was a 4-year football letterman for the Saints, at quarterback/defensive back/punter. As a sophomore, he won 3 of the 4 games he started. In his first start, a 20-7 win over Western, McCarthy set up the initial touchdown with a 26 yard run, and passed for a 68-yard strike on another TD. He threw for three scores in the rematch (42, 29 and 53 yards), beating the Bulldogs 32-13. Mike finished the year completing 17 of 32 attempts, with 5 going for touchdowns, at an average 46.4 yards per TD pass. 

The next year, he played 3 games behind center and 5 at defensive back. In 1967, the 160-lb. McCarthy played QB in every contest and served as the Hilltoppers punter. His best outing was a two-touchdown effort (for 58 and 72 yards) vs. Western. He ended the year with 606 passing yards and 6 TDs, and for his career, Mike completed 82 of 187 passes for 1238 yards. Of his 13 lifetime TD passes, 10 went for 29 yards or longer, while averaging 41.2 yards apiece. McCarthy was listed in the 1968 “Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges.”