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Gerald Tinker

American football player and track athlete (born 1951)

Gerald Alexander Tinker (born January 19, 1951) is an American former track athlete and football player. He won a gold medal in the 4 × 100 metres relay at the 1972 Summer Olympics.

01Early life

Gerald Tinker attended Coral Gables Senior High School in Coral Gables, Florida, where he excelled as a football and track athlete. In 1967, Tinker, along with quarterback Craig Curry and Bertram Taylor, was part of an all-black backfield at the previously all-white school. The team was rated the team of the century by the FHSAA.

02Sprinting career

Running for the Kent State Golden Flashes track and field team, Tinker won the 1973 60 yards at the NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships.

At the 1972 Summer Olympics, Gerald Tinker ran the third leg in the American 4 × 100 metres relay team, which won a gold medal and equalled the United States' own world record of 38.19. His cousin, Larry Black, also ran a leg in that same relay. Larry Black attended Miami Killian High School where he also was a track star. His school was a football rival of Coral Gables Senior High School that Gerald attended. Despite that, both teamed up to help win Olympic Gold.

03NFL career

Gerald Tinker
No. 81, 82
PositionWide receiver
Personal information
Born (1951-01-19) January 19, 1951
Miami, Florida, U.S.
Listed height5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Listed weight173 lb (78 kg)
Career information
High schoolCoral Gables Senior
(Coral Gables, Florida)
CollegeKent State/Memphis
NFL draft1974: 2nd round, 44th overall pick
Career history
Career NFL statistics

After the Olympics, Tinker was selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the 2nd round (44th overall) of the 1974 NFL draft as wide receiver. He played for the Falcons (1974-1975) and the Green Bay Packers (1975).

Watch videos about Gerald TinkerExplainers and documentaries on YouTube (opens in a new tab)

Sources and credits

This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article Gerald Tinker, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.

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