OKLAHOMA CITY — On Monday, June 29, Oklahoma City native and 1978 Millwood High School graduate Joe Carter was inducted into the National High School Hall of Fame in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Long before Joe Carter’s iconic walk-off home run to win the 1993 World Series for the Toronto Blue Jays, he was a phenomenal four-sport athlete at Millwood High School in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. And despite his five Major League Baseball All-Star awards and two World Series championships, Carter continues to carry the spirit and pride of Millwood with him to this day.
In baseball, Carter was a four-year starting pitcher for Millwood; when he wasn’t pitching, he was a shortstop, third baseman or out-fielder. As a senior, Carter batted .633 with 10 home runs and 31 runs batted in and was first-team all-state. He batted .412 as a sophomore and .475 as a junior and was first-team all-city.
In basketball, Carter helped Millwood get to the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association (OSSAA) state championship game three consecutive years, winning the title twice and finishing second as a junior. He was all-state as a senior, and the Class 2A State Tournament MVP while leading Millwood to the state title.
Carter was the starting quarterback on the football team for three consecutive years and was Class 2A runner-up as a sophomore. He also played defensive back and was the team’s punter.
Carter unexpectedly won the Class 2A long jump title in his senior year. He had attended the regional track meet just to watch his girlfriend compete, but was asked by the boy’s team coach if he wanted to compete in the long jump. Carter accepted the invitation on the spot, borrowed a uniform, and won the regional long jump title. He then won the long jump at the state meet the following weekend with a 23-0 effort – the fourth-longest in the state that year, regardless of class.
He attended college and played baseball at Wichita State University – where he set 10 season and 11 career records – before becoming a first round draft pick by the Chicago Cubs. Carter played for five other teams during his professional career. In addition to his iconic home run that won the 1993 World Series for the Blue Jays, Carter had also played for the Blue Jays when the team won the World Series the previous year, in 1992.
Carter has been inducted into five other halls of fame, including the Wichita State University Hall of Fame, Kansas Sports Hall of Fame, Missouri Valley Hall of Fame, Ontario Sports Hall of Fame and the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame.
Born in Oklahoma City, Carter retired from professional baseball in 1998 and currently lives in Leawood, Kansas.
Carter exemplifies everything that is good about high school athletics and has represented Millwood High School, Oklahoma City and his family with great pride, honor and respect.
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Based on reporting by The Black Chronicle.
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