 Prior to East Central, McCarty coached Tabor College to a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) power from the ground up.In his first season at Tabor in 1999, the Bluejays had just 14 players in the program and struggled through a 0–10 campaign.McCarty guided Tabor to a 3–7 record in 2000, a 5–5 mark in 2001, a 6–4 ledger in 2002 and ultimately a 9–2 record in 2003 that saw the Bluejays achieve a No.