Episode 15 -- Alonzo Carter

Alonzo Carter spent five years as a backup dancer and lead choreographer for legendary rapper MC Hammer. Now he's the running backs coach and lead recruiting coordinator for the San Jose State football team. In between, he coached track and football at McClymonds High in West Oakland, three years as the head coach for Berkeley High football, and was the head coach at Contra Costa Junior College.

"Coach Zo" has changed the lives of hundreds, if not thousands, but few people knew about his dancing past. In fact, even though I spent 3.5 years covering high school sports for The Oakland Tribune, I never knew about his connection to MC Hammer. That all changed after practice one day in 2018, when San Jose State head football coach Brent Brennan asked the DJ to play "U Can't Touch This" and motioned for Carter to show their players a few dance moves. A staffer filmed the scene, posted it on the internet, and the video went viral.

In Episode 15 of the "Life Around the Seams" podcast, we learn what baseball player gave Stanley Burrell the "Hammer" nickname, and which players provided a loan that launched his musical career. But since this is primarily a story about a football coach, we're calling it "Life Around the Laces," as we learn how Alonzo Carter went from student at (then) Cal State Hayward to touring with Hammer, why he left the music industry, and how the showmanship of being around Hammer has influenced his successful coaching career.