Frank Leonard Vecera Jr. (October 23, 1937 – November 9, 1987) was an American paralympic athlete, snooker and wheelchair basketball player. He competed at the 1960 and 1964 Summer Paralympics.[1][2]
 Vecera in 1958 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | Frank Leonard Vecera Jr. October 23, 1937 East St. Louis, Illinois, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | November 9, 1987 (aged 50) Arlington, Texas, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | Saint Louis University University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Country |  United States | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Para-athletics Snooker Wheelchair basketball | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Life and career
editVecera was born in East St. Louis, Illinois, the son of Frank Sr. and Mary Vecera.[3] He attended Saint Louis University, studying to be an engineer.[4] He also attended the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign,[5] earning his BA degree in advertising design.[4] He was a member of the Long Beach Flying Wheels.[6]
Vecera competed at the 1960 Summer Paralympics, winning the gold medal in the men's wheelchair basketball tournament A event.[1] He then competed at the 1964 Summer Paralympics, winning three bronze medals, two silver medals and a gold medal in athletics, snooker and wheelchair basketball.[2] After competing in the Paralympics, he worked as a real estate investor in Arlington, Texas.[7]
Death
editVecera died on November 9, 1987, in Arlington, Texas, at the age of 50.[7][8]
References
edit- 1 2 "Rome 1960 Paralympic Games Results". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
- 1 2 "Tokyo 1964 Paralympic Games Results". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
- ↑ "Frank Vecera". 1940 United States Federal Census. Retrieved June 22, 2025 – via Ancestry.com.
(subscription required) - 1 2 Metlova, Maria (August 23, 1964). "Between You & Me". Valley News. Van Nuys, California. p. 28. Retrieved February 11, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Paralytic Drives Own Car Here to Visit Wheel-Chair Pal, Sammy Howe". Tri-County News. King City, Missouri. July 18, 1958. p. 1. Retrieved February 11, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Wheels' Vecera Gets U. S. Berth". Press-Telegram. Long Beach, California. July 10, 1962. p. 22. Retrieved February 11, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- 1 2 "Frank Vecera". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Fort Worth, Texas. November 10, 1987. p. 17. Retrieved June 22, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Frank L Vecera". U.S., Public Records Index, 1950-1993, Volume 1. Retrieved June 22, 2025 – via Ancestry.com. (subscription required)
