CJ Carr family tree: Meet Irish QB’s Michigan football family, including grandpa Lloyd, dad Jason & more originally appeared on The Sporting News
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CJ Carr grandpa: Lloyd Carr
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CJ Carr grandpa: Tom Curtis
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CJ Carr brother: Tommy Carr
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CJ Carr brother: Chad Carr
College Football is full of families who were front and center over the course of the sport’s history. Whether it’s the Mannings, the Mosses or the Sanders, generations of football talents have permeated the sport.
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The Carr family in particular is known for its connection to Michigan football. However, quarterback CJ Carr wanted to forge his own path, opting to instead attend Notre Dame instead of signing with his hometown Wolverines.
Carr’s family is stepped in Michigan tradition, dating all the way back to the 1960s and has been involved in some of the program’s best moments. Here is a breakdown of the Carr family, which has became synonymous with Michigan football … until now.
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CJ Carr dad: Jason Carr
C.J. Carr’s father is Jason Carr, who himself was a quarterback in college at Michigan. The son of legendary Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr, Jason spent 1992 to 1995 as a Wolverine, playing in 20 games primarily as a backup.
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Despite his family’s steep history at the University of Michigan, Jason knew that he C.J. wanted to forge his own path away from Ann Arbor.
“I knew in the back of my mind, he wanted to go away,” Jason said, via The Athletic. “As he got into high school and we started seeing football is gonna be a thing for him, we thought maybe you get Michigan to sneak in there a little bit and he changes his mind a little bit. He never did.”
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CJ Carr mom: Tammi Carr
Tammi Carr, C.J.’s mother, also comes from a Michigan family. Her father, Tom Curtis, played football at Michigan in the 1960s, and she attended the school, which is where she met Jason.
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“We’re always going to be a Michigan family. He’ll always have a place in his heart for Michigan,” Tammi said about C.J., via The Athletic. “But he wanted to go away. Every kid should have that chance, no matter what their last name is.”
Tammi used to work for the University of Michigan, but she left her job co-founded the ChadTough Defeat DIPG Foundation in honor of her youngest son, Chad, who passed away from brain cancer in 2015.
“We only started the foundation because there was this demand,” Tammi said, via the University of Michigan. “There was money and people saying I want to do this and we felt like we had to. I didn’t expect it to grow in five years to this level. I also believe that my son had a job to do and he was inspirational. Sharing his story brought people into the fold and attention to this disease that has had zero.”
Tammi not only serves as the foundation’s co-founder, she is also the executive director on Jones Family Foundation, a different foundation that provides financial support to “the needs of children’s health, education, and our nation’s veterans.”
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CJ Carr grandpa: Lloyd Carr
The most famous member of the Carr family is Lloyd Carr, the longtime Michigan head coach who spent 13 years leading the Wolverines. His career peaked in 1997, when Carr led Michigan to an undefeated season and a Rose Bowl victory to secure the national championship.
After playing quarterback at Missouri and Northern Michigan in college, Lloyd Carr became a high school coach before joining Eastern Michigan as an assistant coach in 1975. He also coach at Illinois and West Virginia, but ended up at Michigan as the program’s defensive backs coach in 1980.
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From there, Carr became the Wolverines’ defensive coordinator in 1987 and assistant head coach in 1990. He was ultimately was named Michigan’s head coach in 1995. For the next 13 seasons, Carr went 122-40 with Michigan, never producing a losing season and winning six bowl games until his retirement after 2007.
“Everyone I’ve talked to just said how unbelievably nice he was to them or what a great person he was and a great coach,” C.J. said in 2021, via MLive.com. “Honestly, I wish I could have seen him coach and seen his teams play more.”
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While Lloyd Carr remains a legend in Michigan circles, he is still supporting his grandson’s decision to attend Notre Dame.
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“I’ll always love Michigan,” Lloyd Carr said, via The Athletic. “But this is family. I’m just happy for him because he’s so happy. He’s so excited about the future.”
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CJ Carr grandpa: Tom Curtis
Not to be outdone, C.J.’s other grandfather is a Michigan alum himself. Tom Curtis played college football at Michigan from 1967 to 1969, primarily serving as a safety, and he was named a consensus All-American in 1969 and as a two-time first-team All- Big Ten member. Curtis was named to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2005, and Michigan’s Hall of Honor in 2007.
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In 1970, Curtis was drafted by the Baltimore Colts, but he played just two seasons in the pros before injuries forced him to retire in 1973. After retirement, Curtis got into the publishing industry, starting Curtis Publishing Company based out of Florida.
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CJ Carr brother: Tommy Carr
Tommy Carr, C.J. younger brother, is also a quarterback. Tommy replaced C.J. as Saline High School’s starting quarterback when C.J. graduated after getting to backup his brother for a few years.
“He just said ‘Go play. Don’t think too much and sling it'” Tommy said C.J. told him, via MLive.com.
C.J. and Tommy bonded in many ways and went through adversity together, including when the youngest Carr brother, Chad, passed away at just five years-old.
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“They are best friends now,” Tammi Carr told On3. “It is the most heartwarming thing to see because that is special to us. I think their relationship changed. I think they are very grateful to have each other. C.J. is a great big brother to Tommy. He’s there for everything.”
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CJ Carr brother: Chad Carr
C.J. had a second brother, Chad, who was born in 2010. However, in 2014, Chad was diagnosed with an inoperable pediatric brain tumor called Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma, or DIPG.
Over the next 14 months, Chad underwent 30 rounds of chemotherapy and was part of a clinical trial at Sloan Kettering Memorial Hospital in New York. On November 23, 2015, Chad passed away.
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As Chad fought the disease, Michigan football rallied around him and the rest of the Carr family. ESPN told the story of Chad Carr in December of 2015, just one month after he passed.
C.J. Carr was just 10 years old when he lost his youngest brother, but he makes sure to treasure the moments they had together.
“I’m not taking anything for granted because of the experiences we had with Chad,” Carr said, via On3. “What his legacy will continue to show is don’t take your time here for granted. You only have so much of it.”
To honor his brother, C.J. got Chad’s name tattooed on his right wrist along with a cross so his brother will always be there with him.
What is the ChadTough Foundation?
The Carr family founded the ChadTough Defeat DIPG Foundation to find a cure for Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma, or DIPG. According to the ChadTough Foundation website, the foundation has raised tens of millions of dollars and helps fund research to find a cure for the disease and helps families who have a child that was diagnosed with DIPG.
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Where is CJ Carr from?
C.J. Carr grew up in Saline, Michigan, which is located just over 30 minutes south of Ann Arbor. He played high school football at Saline High School before graduating from the school in 2024.
While C.J. is proud to be from Michigan, he said he’s always wanted to go to college away from home.
“Obviously Michigan is going to hold a close place in my heart forever, we’re a Michigan family. Our family foundation is run through Michigan and so Michigan will always hold a close spot in my heart,” Carr said, via ESPN. “But, I’ve never wanted to go to college near my hometown and I wanted to travel a little farther.”
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