Impact Of A Scholarship: Al Carey

Al Carey embodies the spirit of Maryland Athletics. He’s a distinguished leader who continues to make a difference at the University of Maryland. 

The Long Island native was a track and field distance runner in College Park from 1969-74 before becoming a board member and CEO of several major United States companies. Most importantly, his attention stayed within the track and his alma mater. Carey is a member of the University of Maryland Board of Trustees and has pledged millions of dollars to the university.

“I love the University, I loved my time there,” Carey said. “It developed me into a leader, and I have been able to put that to good use in my career. Being an athlete is a great training program for your future career. I feel really grateful for what the university did for me. I'm giving back so I can hopefully create a similar positive experience for some young people who are attending the university right now.”

Carey chose Maryland despite being heavily recruited by several other schools. He fell in love with its campus the first time he visited and committed to the university even though the school could only afford to give him a half scholarship for his freshman year. 

“When I visited the university, I already knew I was going there,” Carey said. “I just decided as soon as I walked on the campus. I said, ‘This is for me.’”

After swift success as a runner, Carey’s scholarship turned into a full ride. Under head coaches Jim Kehoe and Nick Kovalikies, Carey was a member of five consecutive ACC championship-winning track and field teams at Maryland, including the 1974 team that scored the record for most points in an ACC championship meet with 127. Carey was the cross-country team captain that year, his senior season. 

Carey vividly remembers the 1974 ACC championship mile run, which took place on a steaming hot day at the University of North Carolina. The Tar Heels had Tony Waldrop, a world record holder, and Duke had Bob Wheeler, who had previously broken four minutes in the mile. Waldrop and Wheeler took first and second place in the event, respectively. 

However, Carey placed third, two of his roommates placed fourth and fifth and a freshman Carey had been mentoring captured sixth place. Maryland earned four of the six placements and outscored every other school in the mile.   

The 1974 ACC championship was Maryland men’s track and field's 19th consecutive conference title. The streak eventually reached 24 straight titles. The record-setting team was honored on May 3 at the Kehoe Twilight Meet for its 50th anniversary.

Carey says his athletic scholarship allowed him to be an accomplished student-athlete, leading him to the position he’s in today. 

“At the time, I could not afford college,” Carey said. “I would have had to take out loans, and we didn't have much money. That was also during the middle of the Vietnam War, which was a little scary. It made it possible for me to get an education. Without it, I don’t know what I would've done.”

For Carey, leadership wasn't just confined to sports. In his senior year, he became the president of his fraternity. He credits his fraternity's faculty advisor and track coaches for encouraging him to pursue leadership positions.

“I ended up learning a lot about leadership from being the captain of my cross country team and also being the president of my fraternity,” Carey said. “Both were unexpected lessons I learned that didn't come out of the classroom.”

Carey graduated from the University of Maryland with a degree in urban studies. However, he got his first professional experience as a senior intern in the D.C. governor's office. Carey planned to continue working there after graduation, but he received an unexpected phone call from a recruiter at Procter & Gamble. 

They were looking for people to work in sales management, but Carey had no experience in the field. Still, Procter & Gamble hired him because of his leadership experience and skills. He worked there for roughly seven years after college. 

Carey moved to Cincinnati, where he was recruited by Frito-Lay, PepsiCo's billion-dollar food business unit, in 1981. He eventually became the CEO of PepsiCo, a role he held from 2016-19. Overall, he worked at the two companies for a combined 38 years, holding chief executive roles over North America Beverages, Frito-Lay North America and Quaker Foods North America, before his three years as CEO over all three. Carey was instrumental in the contract that brought Pepsi products to the University of Maryland. 

At 72 years old, Carey still uses the leadership skills he learned at Maryland. He’s the board's executive chairman at Unifi and the board director of The Home Depot, and he holds many other leadership positions at large-scale companies and businesses.  

“I think back to the conversations I had with my coaches about getting straightened out and taking school more seriously,” Carey said. “If I had not been persuaded to take on early leadership positions, I wouldn't be where I am today. I'm quite sure about that.”

Carey received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the University of Maryland in 2001. He’s been a determined supporter of the track team, where he helped raise funds to help save the nearly cut program in 2012. He also helped raise money to provide scholarships and aid in recruiting efforts when head coach Andrew Valmon was hired in 2003. 

One of his pledges to the program was the Albert P. Carey Scholarship Endowment Fund. This past year’s recipient was middle distance runner Eric Albright, who has broken several program records while studying mechanical engineering. His records include 2:23.23 in the 1000m (indoor), 1:49.82 in the 800m (indoor) and 1:48:26 in the 800m (outdoor) at the Kehoe Twilight Meet, where Carey was in attendance. Albright’s outdoor 800m time also qualified him for the first round of the NCAA championships. He was even part of the 4x800 team that broke the school record at the 2023 Penn Relays.

“[The middle distance] group has taken off, and it wouldn't have been possible without those contributions and Al’s initial contribution to saving the program,” Valmon said. “As a coach, it was a proud moment to see the person who gave us this much of his own money to see the fruits of his labor when this young man broke the school record in that event.” 

Albright was named the Maryland Athletics’ Best Male Breakthrough Athlete in 2024. The award is given to the student-athlete who improved their performance or became a household name. Albright was also named All-Academic by the U.S. Track and Field And Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). 

“It’s really special, especially as a track athlete, as Al was,” Albright said. “Not only was he a really good track athlete, but he is also obviously an industry leader as well. It's inspiring to have someone like that in your corner as a track athlete and also as someone looking forward to their career after athletics in college. … Proving the results has been amazing.”

Carey was honored for his contributions to the track and field program, as the coach's office at the XFINITY Center was dedicated to him. Carey is willing to provide support because others did the same for him. 

“I think of all the people that have been part of a non-revenue sport in the history of the University of Maryland,” Carey said. “Those sports have developed so many good people in all fields of work.”

As a coach, Valmon says he takes pride in returning a successful program to alumni, especially those like Carey, who invested heavily in it. 

“Carey’s contributions run deep,” Valmon said. “Now, being able to provide a program back to the alums with men scoring, men who qualify for the NCAA and a team that consistently has one of the highest GPAs. … Those kinds of things are the embodiment of the scholarship that Al gave us to start. He was a key part that ignited the flame.”

Carey’s contributions extend to Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business. The Albert P. and Victoria V. Carey Maryland Promise Scholarship endowment is part of a pledge by the Carey family, the university and the A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation. It raised over $100 million for need-based scholarships for undergraduates from underserved populations in Maryland and D.C.

He has also provided gifts, such as the PepsiCo Chair of Consumer Research and support for the Smith Talent Acquisition and Referral System (STARS) scholarship program.

Carey has been on the University of Maryland Foundation Board of Trustees for 21 years, previously serving as the Chairman of the Executive Committee and a member of the Nominating Committee. He was recently named Chairman of the Board.