Houston McTear was an American sprinter, who emerged from desperate poverty in the Florida Panhandle to become an international track star in the mid-1970s.
11 Facts About Houston McTear
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Houston McTear ran a 6.38 in 1980, but that mark has been invalidated due to "questionable timing".
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Houston McTear recorded a 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.
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Houston McTear was the 1975 High School Athlete of the Year, as selected by Track and Field News.
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At the 1976 US Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon, Houston 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.
6.
Houston McTear was replaced by Johnny "Lam" Jones, who finished sixth.
7.
Houston McTear appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated in 1978, and qualified for the US Olympic team in 1980, but the US boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics prevented his participation.
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Houston McTear 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.
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Houston McTear died of lung cancer on November 1,2015, aged 58, in Stockholm.
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Houston McTear was survived by four children and his widow, Haglund, who died on November 21,2015, only three weeks after McTear's death, from cancer.
11.
Houston 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.