Wayne Collett

Who was Wayne Collett?

Wayne Curtis Collett was an African American Olympic athlete, who competed mainly in the 400 m.

Collett competed for the United States in the 1972 Summer Olympics held in Munich, Germany in the 400 m, where he won the silver medal. During the medal ceremony Collett and winner Vincent Matthews talked to each other, shuffled their feet, stroked their chins and fidgeted while the US national anthem played, leading many to believe it was a Black Power protest like that of Tommie Smith and John Carlos in 1968. Leaving the arena after the ceremony, Collett gave a Black Power salute.

The Associated Press noted that the casual behavior of Matthews and Collett during the playing of the anthem as "disrespectful," and described the conduct as follows:

:"Collett, bare-footed, leaped from the No. 2 tier to the No. 1 stand beside his teammate. They stood sideways to the flag, twirling their medals, with Matthews stroking his chin. Their shoulders slumped, neither stood erect nor looked at the flag. ... As whistles and catcalls continued, Collett raised a clenched fist to the crowd before entering the portal of the dressing room."