Houston McTear
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | American |
| Born | February 12, 1957 Baker, Florida |
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) |
| Weight | 165 lb (75 kg) |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Running |
| Event(s) | Sprints |
| Club | Muhammad Ali Track Club |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personal best(s) | 60 m: 6.54 100 yd: 9.30 |
McTear rated in the top 10 in the 100 meters for the United States from 1975–1980,[2] but he was stronger at shorter distances, including 60 meters. His 1978 world record in the 60 meters (6.54 s) stood up until it was broken by Ben Johnson in 1986.[3][4] However, his meteoric rise was effectively ended by the American-led boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics.
Early promise[edit]
McTear was born in Okaloosa County, Florida. While at Baker High School in Baker, Florida, McTear won state titles in the 100 and 220 yards four times, the only Florida high school athlete ever to do so.[5] He recorded an 9.0 mark in the 100-yard dash as a high schooler at the Florida AA High State Meet in the preliminary heats, in Winter Park, Florida, but the world record time was not recognized because it was hand-timed.[6][7][8] The time remains the NFHS National High School record in the now discontinued event.[9] He was the 1975 High School Athlete of the Year, as selected by Track and Field News.[10] At the 1976 U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon, McTear ran a 10.16 sec over 100 metres, at the time the fastest ever run under any condition by a Florida high school athlete. It is still No. 3 on the all-time list, only surpassed by Jeffery Demps and Marvin Bracy.[11]International stardom[edit]
McTear qualified for the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal in the 100 meters, but an achilles tendon injury suffered in the Olympic Trials forced him to withdraw from the Olympic field.[12][13] He was replaced by Johnny "Lam" Jones, who finished sixth.[14] The American 4 x 100 meter relay team won the gold medal, led by McTear's rival Harvey Glance.[15]McTear appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated in 1978,[16] and qualified for the U.S. Olympic team in 1980, but the U.S. boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics prevented his participation. From there he fell into drug use and was homeless for three years during the 1980s.[17] He attempted a comeback in the early 1990s and won the 60 meters at the Swedish Indoor Championships in 1990 with a time of 6.68s.[18]
McTear now lives in the United States and is married to the Swedish sprinter Linda Haglund.[19]
Rankings[edit]
McTear was ranked among the best in the world and the US in his event from 1975 to 1980, according to Track and Field News.[20][21]| Year | Event | World rank | US rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 100 meters | 10th | 3rd |
| 1976 | 100 meters | - | 6th |
| 1977 | 100 meters | 2nd | 1st |
| 1978 | 100 meters | - | 6th |
| 1979 | 100 meters | 4th | 3rd |
| 1980 | 100 meters | - | 9th |
References[edit]
- Jump up ^ "The Glory Road: Stardom and a shanty are the two worlds of the world's fastest". Miami Herald. 1976-01-25.
- Jump up ^ "All-Time U.S. Rankings — Men’s 100 Meters" (PDF).
- Jump up ^ "Johnson, Bubka Set Indoor Records". Washington Post. 1986-01-16.
- Jump up ^ "All-time men's indoors best 60m". McTear ran a 6.38 in 1980, but that mark has been invalidated due to "questionable timing"; see [1]. If that time were to stand, it would still be the world record.
- Jump up ^ Boone's Marvin Bracy is sprinting toward history as one of area's best
- Jump up ^ "Sports brief". New York Times. 1975-05-10. p. 13.
- Jump up ^ "All-time men's best 100 yards".
- Jump up ^ Habib, Hal (2002-05-10). "Sprint king, queen had share of potholes". Palm Beach Post. "'Two of the timers had 8.9 and a third 9.0, so we rounded up to 9.0,' said The Orlando Sentinel's Bill Buchalter."
- Jump up ^ http://www.fhsaa.org/sites/default/files/orig_uploads/records/rec_trb.pdf
- Jump up ^ http://www.trackandfieldnews.com/archive/HSAOYs.pdf
- Jump up ^ Boone’s Marvin Bracy runs another career-best to win U.S. junior 100
- Jump up ^ Shapiro, Leonard (1978-02-16). "McTear's Diet Has Changed, but Not His Victory Rate". Washington Post.
- Jump up ^ Fish, Mike (1995-10-22). "Houston McTear: He was a flash of speed leaping from an impoverished childhood in Florida". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
- Jump up ^ Winitz, Mark. "High School Olympians--Could there be one on your track team?". American Track and Field.
- Jump up ^ McVay, Ken (1999-03-10). "Crimson Tide track coach to get another glance at PC". The News Herald.
- Jump up ^ "Off on a record tear". Sports Illustrated. 1978-03-06.
- Jump up ^ "McTear back on track after disastrous '80s". Toronto Star (CP). 1992-01-18.
- Jump up ^ "Swedish Indoor Championships".
- Jump up ^ Curran, Tom (2008-06-27). "'I'm Houston McTear!'".
- Jump up ^ "World Rankings Index--Men's 100 meters" (PDF). Track and Field News.
- Jump up ^ "U.S. Rankings Index--Men's 100 meters" (PDF). Track and Field News.
External links[edit]
| ||
No comments:
Post a Comment