looking for information about 27:17 online . You won ’ t even find evidence it exists . No social media presence to speak of .

And even if you know the gym is tucked inside the back of the Victor B . Jenkins Memorial Boys Club , good luck picking the right unmarked door that leads to the space where Sam Carter lays down his sermon .

Carter isn ’ t technically a preacher , but when he ’ s within these walls – which are adorned with articles of clothing representing dozens of people who have molded him into the man he is – he plays the part for his willing congregation , sprinkling nuggets of wit and wisdom into his intense motivational rants .

Even the gym ’ s name , 27:17 , comes from a verse in Proverbs – “ As iron sharpens iron , so one person sharpens another .” – that Carter regularly repeats .

Carter is a mountain of a man whose chiseled physique would be more intimidating if not for his disarming smile and relentless positivity . Here in the gym , he is in his element .

“ If you ’ re good at something and you love it , but you don ’ t get paid , that ’ s called a hobby . If you ’ re good at something and you get paid to do it , but you don ’ t love it , that ’ s called a job ,” Carter says . “ But if you love something , you ’ re good at it , and you get paid to do it – that ’ s a passion .”

of How Carter Uncovered that Passion begins when he graduated from Savannah

High School and enlisted in the Marines Corps Reserve while attending Savannah State University on a baseball scholarship .

A devastating knee injury ended his baseball and military careers , but it set him on a path toward his passion . He

enrolled at Armstrong State University to earn his teaching certification and bumped into one of his former coaches , who set things in motion for Carter to land a job teaching at Riley Learning Center and coaching at Savannah High .

Carter immediately implemented a training plan that went beyond lifting weights , incorporating the principles of his Marine Corps training .

“ We got real good , real fast ,” Carter recalls . “ We were just demolishing people .”

Two years later , Carter landed his first paying client as a personal trainer , and his passion was fully formed . Soon after , he left his teaching job to become a full-time trainer . Carter landed a part-time job at Savannah College of Art and Design , overseeing the newly-opened Club SCAD .

Almost no one came to the gym . Carter thought pumping iron with a former Marine might not be a good fit with a tiny art school .

Then Carter ’ s former supervisor at Riley , Jean Hayes , invited the coach to a Bible study . Afterwards , Hayes introduced Carter to Hall of Fame basketball player Cazzie Russell , then SCAD ’ s men ’ s basketball coach , and told Russell in no uncertain terms that he needed to send his team to Club SCAD to train .

When the team showed up the next day , Carter put them through the same paces he used to whip his high school players

into shape . It didn ’ t go over well , and Carter confided in a friend that he feared he would lose his job .

“ He asked me , ‘ Do you believe in the training that you do ?,’ and I told him I did ,” Carter recalls . “ And he said , ‘ Then if they fire you , let them fire you .’ The next day we didn ’ t go outside and run with 25-pound plates , we went outside with 45s . If they fire me , let them fire me .”

A month later , SCAD offered Carter a full-time contract , and he ’ s still there 16 years later .

has virtually no online profile , Carter himself has garnered a measure

of fame , thanks in large part to his professional relationship and friendship with Savannah ’ s famed Deen family . Carter started training celebrity chef Bobby Deen in 2002 , beginning a long relationship that has landed Carter guest spots on various television shows ranging from the Deens ’ shows on Food Network to ABC ’ s “ The Chew .”

Carter acknowledges such opportunities lend him credibility , but he really doesn ’ t need it . The list of people he has trained over the years includes numerous professional and highlevel collegiate athletes , almost all of whom stay in touch with

27:17 COACH SAM CARTER 912.525.6002

Carter and get back in the gym with him when they ’ re in town .

Still , there ’ s a reason he keeps such a low profile for 27:17 . It ’ s not for everyone .

“ God will send the right people my way ,” Carter says .

Carter looks for a specific type of athlete – one who has potential they need help unlocking and the humility , discipline and work ethic required to unlock it . He relies on his network of contacts to connect him to potential clients , then makes his pitch .

“ Do you want to change your life ?”

“ I introduce myself to them and at first their parents have no clue , they think it ’ s weird ,” Carter says . “ They ’ re skeptical at first . They think I want something . I don ’ t want anything . I just want to help you get better .”

That extends beyond the gym , the court , or the field . When student-athletes come to 27:17 each afternoon , they spend an hour in a small classroom space upstairs working on homework before joining Carter in the gym for their training .

“ I don ’ t want to be a strength coach ,” Carter says . “ I want to help people change their lives . If you don ’ t want to be better , then I don ’ t work .”

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