CARLSBAD, Calif. — – Deke Houlgate, a longtime West Coast sports activities publicist whose purchasers included such auto racing greats as Mario Andretti, Rick Mears, Richard Petty and Johnny Rutherford, has died. He was 91.

He died Sunday at his residence in Carlsbad north of San Diego of COVID-19-related sickness, son Greg mentioned Thursday.

Houlgate started his profession in sports activities after graduating from the College of Southern California in 1954. He began as a replica boy within the sports activities division on the Los Angeles Instances, and later labored as a normal task reporter and assistant director of particular occasions on the newspaper. He additionally labored as a reporter on the Las Vegas Solar and Los Angeles Herald-Examiner.

In 1962, Houlgate opened his personal public relations agency. He promoted Riverside Worldwide Raceway and the early years of the Virginia Slims girls’s professional tennis tour in Los Angeles. He labored for automotive designer and driver Carroll Shelby. Ultimately, he promoted occasions throughout motorsports, together with Indy automobile, inventory automobiles, drag racing and motorbike racing.

Moreover his youngest son, Houlgate is survived by Olga, his spouse of 66 years, and two different sons, John and David. He was preceded in loss of life by his oldest son, Deke III.