A Shot Heard Round The World

One of Southern Methodist's choicest football recruits is 18-year-old Michael Carter of Dallas, a 6'2�" 255-pounder with speed. But Carter has a dilemma. He is also a shot-putter. Which is like saying that Michelangelo was also a painter. Two weeks ago Carter heaved the 12-pound shot, the one high-schoolers use, 81'3�". Since March he had broken the previous high school record of 72'3�" five times. Now, on the last throw of his high school career, he not only beat his closest competitor by almost 17 feet but also surpassed the old record by nine feet.

That margin was so astonishing that track and field fans termed Carter's toss "Beamonesque," in reference to Bob Beamon, who bypassed 28' on the way to his superhuman 29'2�" long jump in the 1968 Olympics at Mexico City. In that same year Sam Walker, also of Dallas, set the high school record Carter shattered for the sixth, and most astonishing, time, in the Golden West Invitational at Sacramento, Calif.

However, other track nuts claim the comparison with Beamon is unfair—to Carter. Beamon's jump outdistanced the second-best leap in history by 6.6%. Carter almost doubled that margin. His toss surpassed Walker's by 12.5%.

"I'll be seven feet under before anyone throws 81 feet again," says Walker, now 28, who recently began a comeback in the shot.

So what's a football-lovin', shotputtin' sonofagun like Carter to do? Even though he is just now making the transition to the 16-pound shot, Carter is already considered one of this country's top candidates for the Moscow Olympics. His biggest hurdle is self-imposed—the time-consuming, injury-producing arena of college football. "Football is my main sport and playing professional football is my main goal," says Carter, who once described track as "a good way to fill the time between football seasons." SMU Coach Ron Meyer considers him a prize catch in a group of Mustang recruits widely recognized as among the top five in college football.

Carter's strength and 4.6 speed in the 40-yard dash make him an ideal candidate for nose guard, although he played four different positions in his senior year at Thomas Jefferson High. In one game he put that speed on display by taking an end-around 78 yards for a touchdown. In all, he was sought by more than 100 colleges, from Penn State to USC. At one time Carter had two large trash bags full of letters from recruiters. But his 14-year-old sister—he also has two younger brothers—recently mistook them for garbage and threw them out.

When Carter signed his letter of intent with SMU, it was with the understanding that he could skip football in the Olympic year to concentrate on the shot. Right now he is undecided as to what he will do, and he doesn't have to make up his mind until football practice begins Aug. 9. Already he has discovered how demanding football can be. Carter had hoped to major in architecture but, having learned how much time he would have to spend at football practice, he is considering business management instead. "In architecture school you have to do a lot of surveys and other projects on your own time," he says. "On my 'own' time I'll be on the football field."

The prospect that he might devote his athletic talents to football horrifies track fans, who have seen all too many Olympic hopefuls sidetracked by more popular and potentially more lucrative sports. Pittsburgh Steeler Quarterback Terry Bradshaw, for instance, was once the high school record holder in the javelin. That mark now belongs to New England Patriot Tight End Russ Francis.

If Carter does opt for track, he will have outstanding coaching. Last week SMU hired Ted McLaughlin as its new track and field coach. For the past five years McLaughlin was in charge of the field events at the University of Texas-El Paso, and he is considered one of this country's authorities on throwing events. His UTEP throwers contributed 30 of the 64 points that won this year's NCAA title for the Miners.

McLaughlin attributes Carter's success to his quickness. "He is lightning fast," the coach says. "You can't study his technique unless you film him and watch in slow motion. Usually you film at 18 frames per second, but with Carter that may not be enough. He's really a blur." Nevertheless, McLaughlin sees room for improvement, particularly in upper-body strength. Carter bench-presses 345 pounds. Many world-class shotputters can do 500.