:Gerald Tinker

{{Short description|American football player and track athlete (born 1951)}}

{{MedalCountry|{{flagu|United States}} }}

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.

Early years

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.{{cite news |title=Ghosts of the Orange Bowl: Nick Kotys |url=http://miamisouthpaw.blogspot.com/2009/08/ghosts-of-orange-bowl-nick-kotys.html |access-date=November 15, 2018 |date=August 8, 2009}}

Sprinting 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.{{Cite news | author = Neil Amdur |date=1973-03-10 |title=KEOGH CAPTURES 2-MILE RUN TITLE |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1973/03/10/archives/keogh-captures-2mile-run-title-jasper-beats-herold-by-7-yards-as.html |access-date=2024-05-31 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331}}

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.{{cite web|title=Gerald Tinker Bio and Stats |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ti/gerald-tinker-1.html |work=Online Database |publisher=Sports Reference |access-date=October 28, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110909192647/http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ti/gerald-tinker-1.html |archive-date=September 9, 2011 }} 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.

NFL career

{{Infobox NFL biography

| image =

| number = 81, 82

| position = Wide receiver

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1951|01|19}}

| birth_place = Miami, Florida, U.S.

| death_date =

| height_ft = 5

| weight_lb = 173

| height_in = 9

| high_school = Coral Gables Senior
(Coral Gables, Florida)

| college = Kent State/Memphis

| draftyear = 1974

| draftround = 2

| draftpick = 44

| teams =

Atlanta Falcons ({{NFL Year|1974|1975}})
Green Bay Packers (1975)

| statlabel1 = Receptions

| statvalue1 = 8

| statlabel2 = Receiving yards

| statvalue2 = 133

| statlabel3 = Total TDs

| statvalue3 = 3

| pfr = TinkGe00

}}

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).{{cite web|title=Gerald Tinker NFL & AFL Statistics|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/T/TinkGe00.htm|work=Online Database|publisher=Pro Football Reference|access-date=October 28, 2011}}