Tribute In Two Parts

No fancy song titles this blog. No trite stories of teen age lust or love. No LOL type stories. This week I pay the first of two tributes to special men I have known. One I loved like a father and another who was a friendly competitor for 2 years. Even though this blog is supposed to be about my memories of Narbonne and the good times there, today I am writing about someone who went to a rival high school; someone who was a friendly competitor of mine for two years while running track for the Green and Gold.

Wayne Collette was one of the greatest trackmen of our age setting records in high school as well as college. He ran in the 1972 Olympics and placed second in the 400 meters. Wayne passed away this past week of cancer and the world is a little sadder because of this. Wayne was in a completely different class of sprinters than I was but you would have never known. He made me feel like I was just as successful as he was after I ran my personal best in the 100 yard sprint against Gardena in my senior year. I came in 4th or 5th that day behind a whole "herd" of Gardena sprinters; however, like a NASCAR driver, I had drafted on them for the fastest time of my track career. Wayne won two or three events that day and I didn't place in any, but after the meet we talked and he made me feel good that I had done my best.

Wayne was not just an athlete in High School, I believe he was a student body officer as well, possibly Student Body President. I can't find too much about his high school days other than track records, but I remember him coming to a Marine League Conference and he and I discussing much more than track that day. Wayne went on to become one of UCLA's greatest track stars before running in his last world competition at the Munich 1972 Olympics. I am not going to go into the controversy of the Olympics but needless to say Wayne did what he thought best at the time.

Wayne became a lawyer and practiced in Los Angeles while staying married for 37 years to the same woman and raising a family of 3. I ran into Wayne a couple of times over the years. The first time he didn't remember me at first then after a couple of quick stories, he remembered that short, heavy set sprinter from Narbonne "that ran on heart and some awfully heavy thighs." Wayne's own words to me.

Through all the social, political and racial turmoil of the late sixties and seventies it's nice to think back on the relationship between the ALL WORLD black sprinter and the "less than wonderful", heavy white sprinter that lasted for years as we both grew up and followed our separate roads. I hadn't seen Wayne in probably 20 years but his passing hit hard when my Dad called me and told me last night. Wayne I will miss you and hope you are still setting records while you run in the fields of heaven.

Next blog will be about a man I loved like a father and miss each and every day. As a coach and teacher he was special to me in so many ways...and I will talk about those next blog.