I’ve heard and read small bits and pieces about this guy but never could get his whole story. I’ve heard he was a freak of nature who never really did tap into his true potential. Can someone fill me in on this guy and tell me what or why he fell off the radar? Could he have dominated the sprint world if he were able to train properly or is one of many who coulda, woulda, and shoulda?
What Ever Happened To… Houston McTear ?
Real Name: Houston McTear
Category: Sports Heros
Claim To Fame: By request: "When I was in High School there was, very briefly, a young man named Houston Mctear who was called the fastest man in the world.
To my knowledge he was the only person to ever run the 100 yard dash in 9 seconds flat. Houston came along about 2-3 years before amature athlets could do endorsements, so he made no money despite his fame.Years later I heard he was a homeless crack addict somewhere in New York. I’d really love to hear his story. If ever a man came just ‘that close’ Houston did. "
This one was tough to track down. Houston seemingly did fall off the edge of the earth.
He became homeless, but there were conflicting reports as to where. The reader heard that it was New York, a recent Psychology Today article makes a passing mention of him being on the streets of Sweden (of all places).It turns out it was Santa Monica. The SI King: Scott Smith tracked him down there in 1985 and had him autograph his copy of Sports Illustrated.
McTear attempted a comeback in 1989 after a “three year cocaine addiction”.
He was also rumoured to have been involved with former San Francisco 49er’s tight end Russ Francis’ mother, who was about 20 years his senior and also living on hard times.
Real sad story, he could have been great, just check one of his 60m times, even though it was questionable timing, its still great:
1 6.38 Houston McTear USA 12.02.57 1 Long Beach 05.01.1980
I got all my info from these websites:
Thanks DanielC101, I would love to learn more if anyone else knew of him or saw him run. I’m always intrigued by guys like this who were amazing talents. It makes me wonder how many potentially superb sprinters/runners are out there but who never pursued or developed their ability.
Houston kinda reminds me of this guy (on a smaller scale of course) back in HS who could run a 10.5 100m and long jump nearly 24 feet, then just quit track, football, and all the rest. He dominated an indoor meet, then quit and was never heard from again. I won our state long jump but I know that he would have beaten me if he wouldn’t have quit.
Yea, just like this guy who was the fastest ting alive in my country at once, smashed every HS record, then just started drinking to much at post competition parties, until he got addicted. Now he got a beer gut, and just wastes his life away chillin on dah block.
Daniel, oh, the stories I could tell from years of observing talented folk who squandered their ability be it from whiskey, women, or weed. I could start a whole 'nother topic on this…
It really is sad how people can waste their gift. I knew someone who could long jump 20ft in 8th grade, but in high school he couldn’t do sports due to grades. The worst part is that the grades problem was not due to a lack of intellegence. He just hung out with a group of people who just didn’t care.
Heatwave, I don’t know what you’ve found so far but here’s a few stats:
Born: Feb 1957
Age 19: 10.16
2nd at Oly Trials, but pulled a hamstring slowing up after the finish. He therefore never got to go to Montreal. Johnny Jones took his place.
Age 20: 10.13
This ended up being his P.R
Age 21: 10.23
Age 22: 10.17
Age 23: 10.24
Came in 7th at Oly Trials with 10.43 having run his 10.24 in the semis.
He’s famous for equaling Ivory Crockett’s 9.0 100 yard WR in a High School Championship, although electronically, it was only a 9.30.
Richard Hymans, in his ‘Official World Records’ book, estimates Ben at 9.06 from Seoul and Carl at 9.13 from Tokyo.
I checked out some of that info on McTear and it makes one wonder what could have become of his time if he had proper training, eating, coaching, focus, etc…and there are probably many more out there like him.
Quarthedark, I remember way back in HS, this baseball pitcher at our school who decided to come out for track, a tall, skinny, red headed white boy—anyway he ran 55 secs. in the 400 on his very first try and became one the top 300 hurdles in the state; he even had the best time by far for state finals qualifying–until he quit the team because of an argument he got into with the coach. So, at state finals, as they line up for the 300 hurdles, there is lane 3–empty–with this guy up in the bleachers cheering the rest of us on in our events.
When I think back on it (off topic), the fastest guy in our school didn’t even bother to run track due to racial reasons–he also was white and could absolutely fly!! I could run around 22.7 and near 50 flat at that age, and he could destroy me in a race–(although he couldn’t beat me at 1:57 800m) he lived a few streets over from me so I saw him race guys in the street. He could also stand flat-footed and grab the rim with both hands–at 5’10" and 150 lbs. Now, I don’t know what he would have done in the 100m but I’m sure he would be in the mid 10.6’s. But he, like many of us back then, were conditioned to think that whites don’t belong in that short 100m sprint–so he never bothered to try. Words don’t do justice to how quick this guy was. A total natural.