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 Abilene ( ) is a city in Taylor and Jones Counties in Texas, United States. Its population was 125,182 at the 2020 census, making it the 27th-most populous city in the state of Texas. It is the principal city of the Abilene metropolitan statis ...

and grew up in

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

. In 1982, Wells was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member.

Wrestling career

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."1972 Summer Olympics – München, Germany – Wrestling"
. ''databaseOlympics.com''. Retrieved September 13, 2008. Wells is also noted for being the first ever Nike signature athlete. In 1982, Wells was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member.

References

External links

* 1946 births Living people Wrestlers at the 1968 Summer Olympics Wrestlers at the 1972 Summer Olympics American male sport wrestlers Olympic gold medalists for the United States in wrestling Oklahoma Sooners wrestlers Medalists at the 1972 Summer Olympics Pan American Games medalists in wrestling Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States Wrestlers at the 1971 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1971 Pan American Games {{US-wrestling-bio-stub