Michael Carter (athlete)
Encyclopedia
Michael D'Andrea Carter (born October 29, 1960 in Dallas, Texas
), is a former U.S. Olympian
track and field
athlete and professional
American football
player.
, adding more than nine feet to the previous record. He set this mark at the 1979 Golden West Invitational
track and field meet while competing for Jefferson High School of Dallas, Texas. No high school athlete has come within four feet of this record since. In 2004 this record was selected by USA Track & Field as the 16th greatest moment in American
track and field over the previous quarter century, the only high school mark to make the top 25 greatest moments.
on a football scholarship. He was a member of both the 1981
and 1982 undefeated
team, as the immovable object in the center of the defensive line. His track and field endeavors were almost an afterthought. Still he won four indoor and three outdoor NCAA shot put championships. He was part of the SMU 1983 NCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship
team. After graduating, he won the silver medal in the shot put
at the 1984 Summer Olympics
in Los Angeles
.
in the fifth round of the 1984 NFL Draft
. As a professional American football player, he played his entire National Football League
career with the 49ers from 1984-1992. He was a three-time Pro Bowl
selection and a three-time Super Bowl
winner.
Carter is the only athlete to win an Olympic medal and a Super Bowl ring
in the same year.
who won the 2006 NCAA outdoor shot put championship, the 2008 United States Olympic Team Trials
in addition to the 2009 and 2011 National Championships
. Like her father, Michelle Carter is an Olympic athlete, finishing 15th in the shot put at the 2008 Summer Olympics
in Beijing
. Michelle also holds the female national high school record in the Shot Put.
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
), is a former U.S. Olympian
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
athlete and professional
Professional sports
Professional sports, as opposed to amateur sports, are sports in which athletes receive payment for their performance. Professional athleticism has come to the fore through a combination of developments. Mass media and increased leisure have brought larger audiences, so that sports organizations...
American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player.
High school years
Carter is best known in track and field for setting the American national high school record of 81 feet 3½ inches in the 12 pound shot putShot put
The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" a heavy metal ball—the shot—as far as possible. It is common to use the term "shot put" to refer to both the shot itself and to the putting action....
, adding more than nine feet to the previous record. He set this mark at the 1979 Golden West Invitational
Golden West Invitational
The Golden West Invitational high school track & field all-star meet brings together top high school athletes from throughout the country and provides them with the very highest levels of competition...
track and field meet while competing for Jefferson High School of Dallas, Texas. No high school athlete has come within four feet of this record since. In 2004 this record was selected by USA Track & Field as the 16th greatest moment in American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
track and field over the previous quarter century, the only high school mark to make the top 25 greatest moments.
College years
Carter attended Southern Methodist UniversitySouthern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University is a private university in Dallas, Texas, United States. Founded in 1911 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, SMU operates campuses in Dallas, Plano, and Taos, New Mexico. SMU is owned by the South Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church...
on a football scholarship. He was a member of both the 1981
1981 SMU Mustangs football team
The 1981 Southern Methodist University Mustangs football team represented the Southern Methodist University in the 1981 college football season. The Mustangs offense scored 365 points while the defense allowed 137 points. At season’s end, the Mustangs were ranked fifth in the nation. This was the...
and 1982 undefeated
1982 SMU Mustangs football team
The 1982 SMU Mustangs football team represented the Southern Methodist University in the 1982 college football season. The club was victorious in the 1983 Cotton Bowl Classic.-Regular season:...
team, as the immovable object in the center of the defensive line. His track and field endeavors were almost an afterthought. Still he won four indoor and three outdoor NCAA shot put championships. He was part of the SMU 1983 NCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship
NCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship
The NCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship is an annual collegiate outdoor track and field competition for men organised by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. It has three divisions: Division I, II, and III. Athlete's individual performances earn points for their institution and...
team. After graduating, he won the silver medal in the shot put
Shot put
The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" a heavy metal ball—the shot—as far as possible. It is common to use the term "shot put" to refer to both the shot itself and to the putting action....
at the 1984 Summer Olympics
1984 Summer Olympics
The 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1984...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
.
Professional career
A 6'2", 285-lb. nose tackle, Carter was selected by the San Francisco 49ersSan Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
in the fifth round of the 1984 NFL Draft
1984 NFL Draft
The 1984 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held May 1-2, 1984. No teams elected to claim any players in the regular supplemental draft that...
. As a professional American football player, he played his entire National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
career with the 49ers from 1984-1992. He was a three-time Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
selection and a three-time Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
winner.
Carter is the only athlete to win an Olympic medal and a Super Bowl ring
Super Bowl ring
The Super Bowl ring is an award in the National Football League given to the winners of the league's annual championship game, the Super Bowl...
in the same year.
Family and Personal Life
He's married and has three children. One of those three children being Olympic shot putter MichelleMichelle Carter (athlete)
Michelle Denee Carter is an American shot putter.She won the silver medal at the 2001 World Youth Championships and the gold medal at the 2004 World Junior Championships, and finished fifteenth at the 2008 Olympic Games.Her personal best throw is 18.85 metres, achieved in July 2008 in Eugene...
who won the 2006 NCAA outdoor shot put championship, the 2008 United States Olympic Team Trials
United States Olympic Trials (track and field)
The United States Olympic Trials for the sport of Track and Field is the quadrennial meet to select the United States representatives at the Olympic Games. Since 1992, the meet has also served as the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Because of the depth of competition in some events,...
in addition to the 2009 and 2011 National Championships
USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships
The USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships is an annual track and field competition organized by USA Track & Field, which serves as the American national championships for the sport...
. Like her father, Michelle Carter is an Olympic athlete, finishing 15th in the shot put at the 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
. Michelle also holds the female national high school record in the Shot Put.