Vince Matthews and Wayne Collett won the Gold and Silver medals (respectively) at the 1972
Munich Olympics in the 400 m
dash. A small
controversy erupted over their behavior at the medal presentation, a controversy that would soon be eclipsed by more horrifying events.
Matthews and Collett were both black. US Olympic officials were watching them intently, looking for any sign they would repeat the "
black power" protest by
Tommie Smith and John Carlos at the 1968
Mexico City games. Matthews and Collett did, on the stand, register a protest regarding American civil rights, albeit one that wasn't as overt as Smith and Carlos. During the American
anthem they refused to stand at attention. They chatted with each other and shuffled around a bit. Their lack of attention and unwillingness to stand silent during the national anthem drew the
ire of the crowd. The crowd began to boo and jeer. Upon stepping off the award stands, Collett shot the crowd a mock black power fist.
The US Olympic Committee's reaction was swift and harsh. They were thrown off the track team and banned from competition for life.
Vince Matthews fate is unknown by this researcher. Collett himself went on to get a law degree. He eventually went into the real estate business. Although he fell into dishonor with the US Olympic committee
UCLA recognized his contributions to amateur athletics and inducted him into the UCLA sports hall of fame in 1972.