Who Was He?
An outline
  • Houston McTear was the World's Fastest Human. He is widely considered the fastest sprinter to ever live.
  • He came from the most meager circumstances imaginable: a shack at the end of a dirt road, in the rural backwoods of Florida, where his entire family, including 8 siblings, slept in the same room under a leaking roof, and a bowl of dry cereal was considered a meal.
  • As an untrained high school junior, McTear tied the world record in the 100-yard dash (9.0 seconds).
  • He was on the verge of global stardom-twice- but lost everything due to bad luck,bad choices, and a disastrous relationship with a world-class con man.
  • McTear lived homeless on Santa Monica Beach for the better part of the eighties. With the help of a female Swedish sprinting champion, 31-year-old McTear rehabilitated himself and embarked upon a comeback even more surprising than his initial success fourteen years earlier.