Mike Carter

Mike Carter has had one of the most impressive dual sports careers of any US Olympian. Carter was a shot putter who won a silver medal at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. However, his track & field career is best known for something he did in high school. At the 1979 Golden West Invitational, Carter won the title with a throw of 81-3½ (24.78 m) with the 12-lb (5.5 kg) shot. The throw was a high school record by almost 10 feet (3 m), and as of 2017, no US high schooler has come within 2-feet of that mark. In 2004, it was chosen by Track & Field News among the top 25 greatest moments of the last quarter-century in track & field.

Carter attended Southern Methodist University, where he won the NCAA title in 1981-83, finishing second to John Brenner in 1984. He also won four indoor NCAA titles in the shot. Carter also played football at SMU, which led to his second career. After the 1984 Olympics, he joined the San Francisco 49ers, playing with them as a nose tackle from 1984-92 in the NFL. Carter played on Super Bowl Champions three times with the 49ers, was named to the Pro Bowl three times (1985, 1987, 1988), and was a three-time first-team All-Pro (1986-88).

Carter;s daughter, Michelle Carter, also became a shot putter, following in many of her father’s footsteps. She set the US high school record for women in the shot put, and won the NCAA indoor title in 2005-06. At the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, Carter bested her father by winning the Olympic gold medal.

Personal Best: SP – 21.76 (1984).