Wayne Wells
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| Birth name | Wayne Turner Wells | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | September 29, 1946 (age 78) Abilene, Texas, U.S.[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Home town | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country | United States | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Wrestling | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Event(s) | Freestyle and Folkstyle | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College team | Oklahoma | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team | USA | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Wayne Turner Wells (born September 29, 1946) is an American wrestler and Olympic champion in freestyle wrestling at the 1972 Olympic Games. Wells was born in Abilene, Texas and grew up in Oklahoma.[2] In 1982, Wells was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member.
Wrestling career
[edit]While wrestling at the University of Oklahoma, Wayne was a three-time Big Eight champion and a three-time All-American. He was an NCAA runner-up as a junior, he won the NCAA national championship the following year as a senior.
Wells placed fourth at the 1968 Olympic Games. While turning his attention to law school and the foundation of his professional career, Wayne intensified his wrestling efforts. He captured the silver medal at the 1969 World Championships, then returned a year later to win gold at the 1970 World Championships. He won two national freestyle titles and placed second in the Pan American Games. In the months leading up to the 1972 Olympics, he completed his final year of law school, passed the state bar exam, assisted the OU coaching staff, and trained five hours a day. At the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, he earned a gold medal in freestyle wrestling in the welterweight class.[3] Wells is also noted for being the first ever Nike signature athlete.[4]
In 1982, Wells was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member.[5]
References
[edit]- ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Wayne Wells". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on April 17, 2020. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
- ^ Baughman, R. Wayne. (June 22, 2020). Why I love sports: Wayne Wells is a true Oklahoma sports hero. The Oklahoman. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
- ^ "1972 Summer Olympics – München, Germany – Wrestling" Archived September 19, 2008, at the Wayback Machine. databaseOlympics.com. Retrieved September 13, 2008.
- ^ Palmer, Mark. (February 4, 2020). Wayne Wells: Olympic gold medalist, first Nike signature athlete. InterMat Wrestling. Retrieved September 17, 2022.
- ^ "National Wrestling Hall of Fame".
External links
[edit]- Wayne Wells at the International Wrestling Database
- Wayne Wells at Olympedia
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- 1946 births
- Living people
- Wrestlers at the 1968 Summer Olympics
- Wrestlers at the 1972 Summer Olympics
- American male sport wrestlers
- Oklahoma Sooners wrestlers
- Medalists at the 1972 Summer Olympics
- Olympic gold medalists for the United States in wrestling
- Wrestlers at the 1971 Pan American Games
- Medalists at the 1971 Pan American Games
- American Olympic medalist stubs
- American sport wrestler stubs
- Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States in wrestling