Jack Archer

In 1951 Jack Archer put together a year few dogs have equaled before or since. He was the 1951 U.S. National Win Champion with 47 wins, including 22-straight, and the track champion at Morehead City, NC and Palm Beach, FL. He won match races against top stars from Palm Beach, Hollywood, Orlando and Moyock, NC. His 29 wins in 31 races at Morehead City in 1951 is still a record for victories in a 90-day meet. He set two track records at Morehead City over 550 yards, another track record over the Futurity Course at 485 yards, and also set the 545 yard track record at Palm Beach. He won the 1951 Carolina Inaugural and the Miss North Carolina Handicap at Morehead City, and the 1952 Palm Beach Inaugural, and was the 1951 North Carolina champion based on his victories in home-and-home match races over dogs from the Cavalier Kennel Club in Moyock, NC. In 1965 he was ranked 12th among the all-time greats of the sport by The Greyhound Racing Record.

Overall, his career record was 67-23-16 in 133 starts at Palm Beach, Biscayne, Morehead City, Orange Park, Moyock, and Daytona. He suffered only one loss in any stakes or match races over 5/16ths or Futurity courses when he ran third in the 1951 Orange Park Invitational—he was offstrided from behind while in the lead. A much anticipated match race with Real Huntsman was in the works, but Gene Randle elected to enter his future Hall of Famer in the 1951 Phoenix Derby instead.

I recently nominated him to the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame. In addition to an overview of his racing career, clippings from The Greyhound Racing Record, and other documentation, I sent the following cover letter:

North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame
P.O. Box 33035
Raleigh, NC 27636

Dear Nominating Committee,

In 1951 Jack Archer dominated his game like few others before or since. In an era long before major league sports arrived in the state, when NASCAR had barely got in gear, and before the Tar Heels had won their first NCAA title, he won a national championship in North Carolina and captured the interest of fans all across the country. Though he graced the covers of magazines and was photographed with beauty queens, Jack Archer couldn’t read his press clippings; he was a Greyhound, one of the finest to ever grace an oval and few have heard of him.

I’d like to change that.

In the 1950s, Greyhound racing was a premier sport in America, exceeded in popularity only by baseball, boxing, thoroughbred racing and college football. Professional football, basketball and NASCAR were in their infancy then, and were relatively minor sports.

In the late 1940s and early 1950s, the Greyhound tracks at Moyock and Morehead City were the only ones between Massachusetts and Florida and drew large and enthusiastic crowds. They were premier facilities that attracted top kennels from all over the country. The grading system which classifies Greyhounds by performance to ensure even competition was invented by Paul Hartwell in North Carolina, and is still in use today throughout the industry.

Though he wasn’t born in North Carolina, Jack Archer raced an entire season here in his two years at the track, a typical career length for a Greyhound, and amassed nearly half of his career wins in the state. Most importantly, he put North Carolina on the national Greyhound racing map, attracting attention from publications like The Greyhound Racing Record as well as national wire services.

In 1953, the North Carolina Supreme Court, under pressure from anti-gambling groups, banned all pari-mutuel wagering in the state and the Greyhound tracks were shut down.

For a brief but shining moment, a national champion brought North Carolina to the attention of Greyhound racing fans nationwide. I think it’s time to honor this hero from a bygone era of North Carolina sports. Enclosed is his nomination form and documentation for consideration for the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame class of 2009.

Martin Roper

If there are further developments, I'll post them.