Al Carter

Who is Al Carter?

Albert Houston Carter Jr. is a former reporter and sports columnist for the Houston Chronicle, The Dallas Morning News and other major daily newspapers in Texas and Oklahoma. His writing career spanned three decades. He was the recipient of numerous national and regional writing awards, including Oklahoma Sportswriter of the Year and Texas Sportswriter of the Year. He has made frequent appearances on TV and radio sports shows and has had numerous articles published in sports magazines and books.

He carried the lead byline for two of the greatest disappointments in Houston sports history: the upset loss by the University of Houston basketball team to North Carolina State in the championship game of the 1983 Final Four, which he covered for the Chronicle; and the 1993 American Football Conference playoff loss by the Houston Oilers to the Buffalo Bills, which he covered for the Houston Post. Down by 32 points in the second half, Buffalo completed the greatest comeback in NFL history and won in overtime.

From 2003 to 2008, Carter served as deputy sports editor for the San Antonio Express-News. In 2008, with most major newspapers, including the Express-News, undergoing dramatic downsizing and coverage reductions, he retired from journalism and returned to his hometown of Houston. He currently teaches American History at his alma mater, South Houston High School.